


Lost Souls

by baeconandeggs, niruesie



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Fantasy, Journey, M/M, Mention of Philosophical Concepts, Nightmares, Slice of Life, Sophie’s World inspired, Swearing, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-05-18 08:26:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 37,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14849225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeconandeggs/pseuds/baeconandeggs, https://archiveofourown.org/users/niruesie/pseuds/niruesie
Summary: In the world where dreaming is punishable by law, he just cannot tarnish his reputation as the brightest Soul Hunter of his time by entertaining a man who keeps appearing in his dreams – asking for help.But who is he to refuse the journey to the real world?And find the people he loves.





	Lost Souls

**Author's Note:**

> Recipient: **EVERYONE**
> 
>  **Disclaimer: baeconandeggs/the mods is/are not the author/s of this story. Authors will be credited and tagged after reveals.** The celebrities' names/images are merely borrowed and do not represent who the celebrities are in real life. No offense is intended towards them, their families or friends. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this fictional work. No copyright infringement is intended. (Please do NOT delete or edit the disclaimer.)
> 
>  
> 
> **Author's Note:**
> 
>  
> 
> Writing has always been my passion, so I always take fiction festivals like this seriously. It is as if I am writing to really be published. And I always tell myself there is no room for mediocrity. Especially now that someone will receive this as a gift, I know I cannot write something that is not well-thought of. I know there are a lot of things I need to work on to be a better writer but I have poured my heart onto this fiction so I am hoping that you will enjoy this as much as I did when I was conceiving the story.
> 
>  **To my beta, CG** , thank you for your support and encouragement. For your time, especially you are doing your thesis now. I am and will forever be grateful of your existence. I love you so much. Even after this fest, feel free to message me anytime. I’m here with you whenever you need help on your thesis or just a moral booster. I will be here for you.
> 
>  **To the mods** , thank you for being one of the stepping stones to reach my dream and be a better writer. Thank you for the patience and the love and the support and understanding. Writing for this fest has been a wonderful experience. I love you!
> 
>  **To HC and friends** , your motivation always cheers me up whenever I want to quit writing. Whenever I feel like my dream is too big for me. My heart beats for you all!
> 
>  **To my recepient** , thank you for the prompts. I hope you are happy and satisfied. Wishing you all the best and I hope I can talk to you soon!
> 
>  **To God** , I praise You for the talent and the opportunities. I love You, Lord. This is for you.
> 
>  
> 
> _PS: Some of the scenes really happened in my dreams. Some, in my nightmares._

**SLEEP**

_The walls of my mind_

_Are dart board of my demons_

_They always play_

_Behind my closed eyes_

_They play when my body is nothing_

_But an empty vessel_

_And I am trapped inside the walls I built_

_Few more darts and they will get me_

_I drown at the downpour_

_Of their fatal arrows_

_Of fear, doubt, and horror._

_It’s getting harder to wake up._

_I always think I survived_

_A battle as the night draws near_

_But even as I sleep – in my sleep_

_The war rages on._

_Nightmare #61_

_Written 19 th Day: 4th Moon_

_Year of the Monarch_

_BBH, Soul Hunter_

_***_

_…there just cannot be two realities existing at the same time…_

_What’s happening?_

Tiny cracklings echo in the room and Baekhyun awakes in the middle of the night. He does not need to see the black smoke coloring his bedroom floors and walls because the smell of burning is palpable even before he flutters his eyes open. The room is on fire – again.

“Hyung?” He calls, as though he is plainly checking the presence of his brother. He stands without bending any part of his body, feeling heavy as the air drags his body up against his will, forcing him to be upright.

As much as he wants to pop the bubbles of weird ideas in his head, he knows the fire is not the only peculiar thing in his bedroom – _how he wished it is_.

He is not even horrified that a fire is eating the insides of the room. It does not even sink to him that he is supposed to call someone to quell the fire or alert anyone as those are the most rational things to do. But instead, he wanders his gazes as his feet remain planted on the foot of his bed.

He looks for more oddity. With a great effort, he tries to turn his upper body around.

He rests his eyes on the clock beside the window which is drowning in red and orange flames. The smoke is even blacker but it floods only the floor, not bothering to cling an ankle higher on the walls. The hands on the clock pose a perfect ‘L’. The longer hand strikes twelve and the smaller is on three. He quivers in fear. It is 3:00 am – _again_.

Upon knowing the time, even without the command of his mind, he turns his head back to the bed with an achingly slow speed. He feels the sensation of floating, but instead of _in the water_ , it is _in the fire_. The thick air deprives him the liberty to move instantly. His body is stiff, feet rooted on the foot of his bed.

There, he sees another body sleeping. His heart thumps wildly like a caged bird demanding freedom. He watches himself sleeping… _again_.

The whole room is burning but this is the only time he realizes that the fire has not destroyed anything. It is simply lingering on everything. Engulfing but not digesting things to ashes. The bed is the only thing the fire does not touch as though it is afraid that it might destroy the body. _His body_.

Baekhyun examines _his_ body on the bed and sees his own chest rising and falling. He feels a gush of breath goes out of him, as though he has forgotten to breathe – well, normally though. The lamp he forgot to turn off casts a faint yellow light that lit his face, revealing his swollen eyes. He must have dozed off again while reading.

An open book is still clutched by his right hand as its pages lay peacefully on his belly. He is not bothered anymore by the fire around him. B _ecause nothing was more horrifying than to see another you_ , he thinks. He fears the possibilities that may happen to his body. Even without summoning rational thoughts and scientific theories, he sure knows that any damage on his body will affect _him_ in ways he can never understand. Worse, in ways he can never _reverse_.

 _Is he being attacked?_ He he gulps a big lump of fear. Is another Lost Soul here to try and destroy his body – or worse _invade_ his body? The number of cases of possessions in town has risen significantly this week. It seems that these Lost Souls are eager to plague the city with reasons they do not understand.

However, strange as it may sound, the fire seems to give him an assurance that he and his body are safe. This is no attack. The fire encloses itself around his feet and around the bed. There is no smoke on the place he is standing on. The fire seems to take it away.

It has always been like this in the nights before; the presence of a friendly fire during 3:00 in the morning and another body in the bed which is a complete replica of him. Only this time, it is clearer, more vivid. The ceiling is not like a crystallized version of an ebony painted photo. The outside windows do not display moving distortion of colors grey, dark blue, and black. The moon outside is bigger, glowing in a proud Silver clothing while the thick clouds cloak its side.

It is almost normal, almost mundane. _Almost_.

The vibrations he feels, however, are still there. Compelling, alluring, tempting. Tempting him to go outside and see what is beyond the walls of his houses. But Baekhyun knows when to entertain his curiosity and when to go against it. The sound is still cosmic, very inhuman. He tries to bit back fear, afraid to attract something vile.

It is forbidden. The journey outside the body is punishable by law. It does not help that Baekhyun is held as the best Soul Hunter of their time. A great scandal it would be – for a Soul Hunter to be accused of _travelling_.

He tries to move his foot an inch but the air does not permit him to. He tries to flick his fingers but even them, do not move on his will. As Baekhyun scans his brain for ideas to move closer to his body, he feels another wave of vibrations like big splashes of water after a colossal rock hit a sea. How he wished these splashes take him nearer to his body. But the air holding him is stronger than those waves. His feet are still glued on where he is.

And as if he enhances his senses, he automatically turns his head with another agonizingly slow speed on the door even before his _brother_ could touch the knob.

He gasps, terror-stricken about the fact that he knows it is his brother on the other side of the door.

“Baek?” He can feel the struggle of his brother’s voice as it tries to reach him.

“Baekbom Hyung!” Baekhyun screams but his voice is like a wave trying to reach the shore, dying as it reaches the coast. His heart beats wildly again, panicking. “Hyung, help!” He shouts, voice slower and deeper, like he speaks with his head under the water.

“Baek.” His name is said again but it is from someone behind him. The voice is deep and whole and _normal_ unlike his own. The sound does not seem to struggle to reach him.

Baekhyun turns around very slowly, swallowing fear and nervousness. His lips tremble so he bites it to hide the uneasy feeling. He feels so vulnerable, so fragile, so weak. So _open_. Once an attack is made on his body, he will never be able to get back. He will be another _Lost Soul_ wandering in the wilds of Babylon. Another soul that the city would hunt.

The man is glowing and Baekhyun has it in himself to think about squinting his eyes amidst the danger lurking in his room. His slacks are white as so as his polished shoes. His polo is colored cream and his cloak, which reaches his heel glitters in silvery white beads. His hood is up but Baekhyun can see his full lips and his nose. He does not look harmless yet Baekhyun has read and heard too much about the stories of the Lost Souls.

Violent creatures, they are. Invading bodies and committing crimes that is beyond what hell can punish. Lost Souls do nothing but cause pain and havoc to the living world.

This one can be one of the vilest of them. Not all people dressed in white belong to the good side. Baekhyun stares at him more, heart slamming painfully in his chest, as he begs at the back of his mind for him to wake up. He sees that there is also no fire nor smoke in the spot he is standing on. The fierceness of the fire is tamed.

“Who are you?” Baekhyun wants to scream. He does, though his voice wavers and falters even before it can be heard by the man.

“Park Chanyeol,” he speaks _normally_. “And I’m here because I need your help.”

Baekhyun is about to mutter a response when he presses his lips together again. A bubble of thought popping in his brain. “Don’t you know who I am? _Baek_. You called me Baek,” he replies with the same struggling voice.

“I know who you are. Byun Baekhyun, the greatest Soul Hunter of _our_ time. Why wouldn’t I?”

“ _Our time?_ ” Baekhyun manages to counter amidst the horror eating his insides. He does not think this Park Chanyeol – whoever he is – is a contemporary because Baekhyun has not even heard his name all his life, not even in the academy. Baekhyun huffs but it comes out a soft muffle. He wants to roll his eyes yet those are also being held captive by the air. “Don’t you think it’s ironic that a Lost Soul such as yourself will be asking a help from someone like me?”

“For one, I am not lost,” Chanyeol shrugs. Looking indifferent at the topic yet he looks satisfied at watching the other boy struggle in speaking. “Second, what I think is ironic is that you are a soul hunter yet you keep crossing the _divided line_.”

“I have a clear record,” Baekhyun starts, voice low and slow but he settles to his resolve that Park Chanyeol can still him loud and clear. “Me crossing that… _this_ mythical line is beyond my control. I do not wish for this to happen. This is all just a _dream_.”

“A dream,” Chanyeol scoffs, sounding offended at the word. “Many people had said it too. I guess, they have been dreaming for far too long. Ten years?”

It is true. A number of unconscious bodies have been sleeping for almost ten years. But Baekhyun knows it is a very wrong move to show his horror to this Lost Soul. “Someone - something is holding them back!” He shouts instead. “People like you are holding their Souls from coming back to their bodies so you can have them and plague this city!”

“You are mistaken,” he whispers, voice low and serious – almost threatening. “It is not us who hold them back. _We_ are being held back.”

“Books are never wrong about Lost Souls like you,” Baekhyun mocks, finding in himself the strength to smile. “I will remember you, Park Chanyeol. And I will hunt your body when I wake up. You don’t deserve to live in this world.”

“Soul hunters should hunt souls and not bodies, don’t you think?” Chanyeol mirrors Baekhyun’s mocking smile. “But of course,” he laughs, “How can you do that if the monarch banned everyone from _travelling_.”

Baekhyun opens his mouth for a remark but none came because he himself agrees with Chanyeol. It is indeed a blatant insult from the monarch to call them Soul Hunters but destroy _bodies_ instead. It is so damn obvious. He shuts his mouth again with the hopes that Chanyeol did not have the satisfaction of silencing him.

“This concern will not stop if you only destroy the bodies,” Chanyeol explains, eyes hooded and serious. “The monsters are still here and they will never tire to invade the empty vessels. So unless you let the Souls come back to their bodies, you are attracting more violent creatures.”

“What do you know?” Baekhyun taunts, despite his crumbling resolve. “You don’t know anything.”

“Such a pity,” Chanyeol huffs again and he walks closer to _him_. _To his body_.

“Don’t you dare come near me and my body!”

“I won’t do anything unless you say yes.”

“You are a fool to think that I am here to help you. You are a fool for coming here!” Baekhyun threatens, bile rising in his throat as the man approaches.

“Careful with your words, Byun Baekhyun,” Chanyeol hushes, words and tone laced with cautiousness. “The one who considers himself the brightest in this world is a fool to the real one. I am not the fool here.”

“Baek?” Baekbom speaks again as he also nears his body. “It’s time for breakfast.”

“You can’t escape me, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol says, dread and urgency in his tone. “Unless you can stay awake all the days of your life.”

Baekhyun sees his brother shaking him awake. He suddenly feels nauseous and his vision swirls, as so as his insides. It is as if he is being eaten by a void and swallowing him whole, sending him into a downward spiral motion. “What’s happening?” He tries to shout but he is being knocked out of air.

“I’ll see you tonight, Baek.”

This is the last thing Baekhyun heard before he regains consciousness and he flutters his eyes open. His chest heaving painfully as if he just resurfaced from the deadly cliff dive. Sweat beads gather in his forehead and his eyes are teary and hot.

“Are you okay, Baek? Bad dream?” His brother plasters a soft smile.

“Careful with your words, brother. We might get arrested,” Baekhyun dismisses him, terror stricken at his words.

“Alright,” Baekbeom chuckles. “Get up now. Breakfast’s ready. You have apprenticeship today, right?”

“Yea… yes, _mom_. Will be there in a minute.” He croaks, recovering the normalcy in his speaking.

When his brother left and the door is shut close, Baekhyun rolls to his side and heaves deeply. It is _not_ normal for him – and for other people to have dreams. Dreams are dangerous in the lands of Babylon. Dreaming is punishable by law.

 _But is it real?_ The words echo inside his head, murmuring like wisps in his ears, even though the scenes are like sand that keeps pouring out of his hold. Images continue to blur and as they retreat at the deepest part of his mind.

However, even with the painful tugs of his heart, Baekhyun stays firm on his belief – on the monarch’s belief. Anything that cannot be explained by science is not real. So anything that exists outside the realm of what science can explain is a threat to humanity and they must be destroyed.

A Lost Soul is one of them.

 _But if it is not real, why is there a need for them to be destroyed?_ Somewhere in his heart, Baekhyun feels there are flaws in the notions of the monarch about the Lost Souls. He yearns to correct them.

***

The day in the Two Moon Academy has been fast and Baekhyun finds himself tapping his pen on the table as he chooses among the pool of questions to work on for his final paper.

  1. _Who are you?_
  2. _Where does the world come from?_
  3. _Are there two worlds or just one?_



He misses this so much: where they do not have to do anything but sit down, ponder on such things in a quiet and cool place, and top the rank of the apprentices. Since early today, everyone looks enthusiastic on having their first session after their apprenticeship in Soul Hunting. Clearly, all is exhausted that coming to a session of plain discourse and writing is a fresh air.

Baekhyun thinks that the second question is the most boring to answer. He expects everyone to choose that since St. Thomas Aquinas and a number of philosophers had provided answers and theories enough for the apprentices to submit a paper and get three stars. He wants more than that.

Baekhyun being Baekhyun, he does not want to conform to the majority. True enough. Because those who follow the majority do not always stand out and Baekhyun is a man of spotlight. He wants to top everything, every quiz, every paper, every Soul Hunting practice and he has long promised himself that he will do whatever it takes to be number one. He will do whatever it takes to bring the tainted name of their family to the peak of its glory.

The first question, in his _humble_ opinion, is the most challenging. It will take a lot of reading so his writing will not be accused of being subjective and very opinionated as the question speaks of someone’s purpose in this world. Baekhyun wills himself to think of compelling arguments to convince the readers but he thinks it will be too ambitious to write. He will be too hypocritical because he himself does not believe in _purpose_ and _meaning in life._ Damn those who think about how the universe align and conspire to be who you are from the very beginning.

Among the questions, Baekhyun deems that the third is the most controversial yet the most interesting. It is dangerous to delve on such topic especially at times like this but his curiosity is beating him to it. He finds himself itching to know the reasons as much as he wants to know the answers in his chosen question.

Yes, question number three, it is. _Two worlds?_

He has a lot of theories going on his mind as he vaguely recalls the words from his dreams last night. Doing question number three might help him gather and clear his thoughts. This much is what he could remember from his dream: _It is not us who hold them back_ the man said when he accused Baekhyun of being a filthy Lost Soul. _What does it mean?_

Does it mean other-worldly creatures are holding them back? _Holding his parents back?_

“What is a chair?”

Baekhyun looks up from his paper and breaks away from his thoughts and finds his inspiration coming to him with a bright smile on his face. “Hey,” he stands up to greet him, opening his arms for a wide hug.

Kyungsoo gladly takes the gesture and encloses him in a tight hold. His palms rest flatly on the small of Baekhyun’s back, travelling his hands up and down to soothe him. “You seemed preoccupied on our final paper. I was waiting outside the library. I thought you would go out soon.”

“Why didn’t you just come in? This library isn’t exclusive to me,” Baekhyun chuckles heartily as he takes his seat again, Kyungsoo suits himself beside him.

“I don’t want to be such a bother. I know how you can be too on fire in our requirements. What did you choose?”

Baekhyun turns his head and holds Kyungsoo’s gaze, a big smile flitting across his face. “You.”

“Huh?” Kyungsoo’s eyes are wide before the understanding comes in. When it does, he cups Baekhyun’s face and leans in for a soft yet long kiss. “I know,” he says against Baekhyun’s lips. Their breaths fanning each other’s faces. “The question, I mean. What did you choose?”

Baekhyun giggles once more, warming under his lover’s touch. He gives Kyungsoo three pecks on the lips before finally pulling away, cheeks burning in crimson.

“Question three, I suppose?” Kyungsoo’s cheeks are also flaring as he turns to his notes to read.

Baekhyun returns the question, starting to scribble on his pad. “How about you?”

“How I wish Master Yixing includes _What is a Chair?_ from the choices. I’m losing motivation to write, Baek.”

“And you suppose I’ll think that you will choose that?” Baekhyun furrows his eyebrows, dramatic enough for Kyungsoo to see even though he does not turn his head to him.

“You know me too well, Baek. But here’s the thing, if Master did include that, almost everyone will choose that and I can work on number two,” Kyungsoo sighs, slouching on his seat, looking deflated. He, too, is a man of spotlight. Very much against the mainstream.

“One last,” Baekhyun smiles, putting his hand atop Kyungsoo’s, an act of encouragement. “One last and we will be free from school.”

Baekhyun and Kyungsoo are known to be the finest Soul Hunters in the Two Moons Academy as they possess both the intelligence, the talent, the skills, and the passion. Everyone thinks that they are nothing but competitors, ready to race to death to prove who is better. But nobody knows – except for a few friends, who they are to one another behind closed doors.

Baekhyun has always been attracted to people of intelligence and wits so Kyungsoo has occupied a large space in his heart. It started three years ago when Baekhyun and Kyungsoo were set up for a sparring session. Both men displayed a great deal of strength that their Master called it _draw_. It grew even more when both of them topped the rank in their Ethics class and their papers got published. Albeit the Two Moons Academy is a producer of great Soul Hunters, it is unusual for the school to have two or more students in the top spot.

Admittedly, at first, Baekhyun was iffy about the whole ordeal and it took him a while to admit that Kyungsoo is as excellent as he is. However, when Kyungsoo asked him to be his last dance on their promenade two years ago, Baekhyun has had a change of heart.

“Wait,” Kyungsoo speaks, reading their notes. “Are you sure you want to do number three? Don’t you think it’s quite…”

“Controversial?” Baekhyun supplies the word. “The other two are boring.”

“The school might sue you for this. Are you really sure?”

“They can’t sue us,” Baekhyun smiles warmly, scribbling more notes on his pad. “They’ll lose a precious and dedicated Soul Hunter if they do.”

Kyungsoo scoffs. “I commend you for your confidence and determination but the world cannot take such knowledge. I hope you know that Baekhyun.”

There is a hint of concern and urgency in Kyungsoo’s voice that Baekhyun does not fail to notice. It is as if Kyungsoo knows very well the things Baekhyun would write in his paper. They stay silent for a while, only their breathing and the flipping of pages and the screeching of pen against the paper are the ones heard because they can feel both the weight behind the words said. It might be a wrong move to choose and discuss question number three. Not at this time and definitely not in this place.

Babylon is a dangerous place to live in – this is what others believe. Small island as it is but it is one of the most precarious place to be, especially to _sleep_. People die everyday – no, scratch that – people are _lost_ every day. They leave their bodies _every day_. The number of unconscious bodies their hospice has taken grew exponentially over the last ten years.

This concern has reached the extent that a large sanctuary has been made to keep the bodies safe until their _return_. The building is made of small boxes, enough to fit one body in each cells. Baekhyun often refers to it as a beehive, only, human bodies are stacked there.

Doctors say they have fallen into a deep slumber and there is nothing to worry about. But some bodies have been asleep for seven years. Theorists philosophize that maybe they are travelling somewhere – a place that is not of this world. _A second world_.

Of course, people like Baekhyun and Kyungsoo and everyone else just cannot believe the absurdity and incredulity of a _second world_. A theory about the _life after death_ has been too much to accept.

Baekhyun delving on this topic might put him in a very unfortunate situation, now that the monarch has been firm on its belief that such _world_ does not exist. And now that his parents has been accused of _travelling_. The climb to where Baekhyun is now has been tough because of this issue and he has no plans of falling down – again. The prejudice and judgement had been too much to take and will be too much to take _again_.

Those who _awoke in their deep slumber_ – as what the doctors say, or those who _return from their travel_ – as what the theorist say are immediately punished for breaking the executive order of the monarch. Some are beaten to death, some are shot in the head, while some other are hanged.

It seems very inhumane. But most, if not all, who returned became wild and violent creatures like they are not themselves anymore. Wreaking havoc in different parts of the city with murders and rape and torture. The monarch, then, has ordered to contain all the bodies in the _human sanctuary_ and asked for their immediate execution once they are awake to stop further damage.

“So what is your position on this?” Kyungsoo asks, trying to tone down the tension, though he knows what Baekhyun would answer.

Baekhyun just shrugs, yet his mind is already reeling on the possibility of the answers. “I am firm, of course. There is no such thing as a second world. But I am thinking, what if there is more to this one?” He sounds solemn, remembering fragments of his dreams last night. He is not a man to always ask since he is considered the brightest student of the batch and he knows most, if not all, things so asking is _most of the time_ unnecessary. But his mind is swirling with questions because of his dreams. Because of his parents.

“What do you mean?”

“I think I was attacked last night, Soo,” Baekhyun admits, voice barely a whisper. He rests his head on the table, one cheek laying flatly on the top as he faces Kyungsoo so only his lover can hear and read his words.

Kyungsoo’s eyes widen even more, gasping at his words. “What do you mean attacked?”

“Remember I keep dreaming about me sleeping. I see myself sleeping in my bed as if I am another entity and my body is another. There was a fire and I saw someone in my dream. I couldn’t remember everything but he told me they were not the ones holding the souls from coming back.”

Kyungsoo still looks terror-stricken. He rests his head on the table top too and now their faces are centimeters away from one another. He speaks with zero volume and he allows Baekhyun to read rather than hear his words. Someone might hear them and this could be the end of the world for them. “They may not be the one holding the souls back but they are the ones returning in this world and destroying everything.”

“Soo, what I’m thinking is,” Baekhyun mouths his words. “What if we are talking about two kinds of Lost Souls here? The ones who leave their bodies and those who return. What if they are different kind of Souls? What if my parents are still out there? My real parents?”

“Baek, I know how much you want them to return. I want it too. For them to awake. But it is very dangerous. And I don’t think we have a choice? All those who awake are killed right away.” Kyungsoo smiles, faint but hopeful. “Is this just about our paper? What do you want to do?”

“I’m just worried, what if Souls return as they are in real life. But they get killed immediately by our Sentinels because they think they are the violent Souls that plague our city. Maybe a paper, if I top this one, they will publish it and people especially the monarch would understand.”

“We know very well that the monarch cannot be convinced with a student paper. They never listen,” Kyungsoo blurts out with panic in his eyes.

“They listen to Luhan. They can listen to me too.”

“They listen to Luhan because he supports every single thing they do. The monarch is very unforgiving to their critics, Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo mouths his words again, with a slight quiver on his lips. “I hope you understand the gravity of what you want to do.”

“I know,” Baekhyun sighs, almost in defeat. “But someone has to do something. Someone has to start somewhere.”

Kyungsoo looks at him straight in the eyes. “I am with you on this, Baekhyun,” he touches Baekhyun’s cheeks to assure him. “But be careful. Things have been going on in the capitol. They accused the next heir of the Park Household of _travelling_. If the monarch can do such damage on the richest family in Babylon, imagine what they can do to us. Even if we are the greatest Soul Hunters.”

Baekhyun should not but he chuckles lightly. “Soo, we don’t need to concern ourselves on the matter of political disputes. We both know that this is a show to unveil the rumoured treasure chests of that family.”

“Political disputes or not, once you are accused of _travelling_ , it might be the end of the world for you. I don’t want that to happen to the love of my life. It’s been too much for you, Baek.” Kyungsoo holds Baekhyun’s hand again; his thumb putting soft circled caresses on the back of his palm before bringing it to his lips so he could kiss it.

“I love you, Soo. Don’t worry too much. I just want my parents back.”

“I won’t but I want you to be careful, okay? I can’t afford to lose you.”

It is true that bringing his parents back to life – waking them, posits a terrible danger to their lives. So maybe Baekhyun must prepare the monarch and the rest of the Babylon for the Souls’ comeback. But first, he needs to confirm his theory of having two kinds of Lost Souls: the real souls of the bodies and the monsters that plague the city.

When Kyungsoo lets his hand go, Baekhyun sits up again and tries to focus on his paper that is due two weeks from now so they could enjoy the last days in the academy. No promises are made today on what answers to take in the questions they chose, so Baekhyun takes his liberty to write what he really wants to.

_It is my belief that these two worlds exist. The burden of proof lies not to us who believe in the existence of such but rather lies on those who believe that there is only one world, earth and nothing more._

***

**ATTACKS**

_Even in my safest haven_

_I am attacked by forces_

_Of ashen and ebony_

_Lashing and drowning me._

_The everyday terrors_

_Of ~~human~~ my errors_

_Make their way inside_

_As I close my eyes, every single night._

_Sprinkled by fear_

_Peppered by failures_

_A recipe for nightmare_

_Where my mind is my demons’ lair._

_Preparing for another attack_

_Written 19 th Day: 4th Moon_

_Year of the Monarch_

_BBH, Soul Hunter_

After Baekhyun wrote another entry in his journal, he prepares for his bed. He needs to be early tomorrow to ask Master Yixing about some books. The rain is hard tonight which he is very much thankful for. He loves the rain and its sound as they lull him to sleep faster. Though, _dreams_ are very much recurring in his sleeping state, he never fears sleeping. _He promises himself he never will_.

As he positions himself for a good sleep, nuzzling his cheeks on the soft pillow, he hears small tapping on his window. Small stones are being thrown. Huffing in annoyance, he stands up again to see who dares to bother him at this hour. His heart somehow wishes it is Kyungsoo but would his lover be this romantic? Throwing stones so he would come and see Kyungsoo serenading him?

When Baekhyun opens his window, he is hit by a small stone in the forehead and he staggers back. “Ouch! Hey!”

“I’m sorry.”

Baekhyun hears the man, loud and clear amidst the downpour of the rain. There is familiarity in his deep and dark voice but he cannot quite recall where he had first heard it. He nears his window again. “Stop throwing stones or I’m going to report you.”

“Baek,” Baekbeom calls from the door, his head bobbing to greet him. “Someone is asking for you.”

“The stone-man or another man?” Baekhyun yawns, covering his mouth with the back of his palm. Why would he be so in demand tonight? His brother gives him a playful smile to which he replies, “I’m not being sought after by boys. Please.”

“I didn’t say anything,” his brother shrugs him off.

“Your eyes are screaming!” Baekhyun wants to roll his eyes but that would be much uncivilized. “Who is this man? I want to sleep already.”

Baekhyun rushes down to the living room. It is, indeed, another man. That man who has been throwing stones. A man that Baekhyun and his brother have never heard of. He asks for one thing: _help_.

“May we know your name, young man?” Baekbeom asks as he gives him a hot cocoa milk. “What kind of help do you need? Can it not wait tomorrow? You are soaking wet, for Pete’s sake. Isn’t there anybody looking for you?”

“Too many questions, _Mom_. Let him answer one at a time,” Baekhyun sighs as he sips on his own cup, his palms warming up and toning down the coldness. Yet the austerity is still in the ambiance that the hot drink fails to kill.

The rain is still hard and the man – Baekhyun mentally debates whether he really forgot an umbrella or plain stupidity that he did not bring any – is shivering down to his bones. He has not spoken a word yet as his teeth chatters hard and loud.

After long sips of his hot drink, the man clears his throat to speak. “My name is Park Chanyeol. I am honoured to be welcomed warmly in your household, Sir.” He stands up and bows lowly.

“No need for such formalities, young man,” Baekbeom smiles bright. “Now, finish your cups and let Baekhyun know if you still need anything. I’ll be going upstairs.”

“Thank you,” Chanyeol replies, beaming.

Baekhyun eyes him carefully. There is something eerie in him. His eyes are big and puffy and bothered and tired, like he has not had any sleep for the past weeks. His full lips are pale and chapped. There are lines around his eyes and little deep creases on his forehead. This man, in Baekhyun’s opinion, cannot be older than he is yet he looks so… tired.

“You sound royal,” Baekhyun speaks when he is sure his words are out of the earshot of his brother to avoid being reprimanded about being too casual and rude in front of a visitor.

“I need your help, Baekhyun.”

“Who are you and what on earth do you need me for?”

“I told you, didn’t I? I am Park Chanyeol.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.” Baekhyun does not mean to be rude and he really wants to help if he can. However, he cannot ignore one single question: why does it have to be him? “Have we met before? Because I know for sure that I hav–”

“We did. Last night. In your dream,” Chanyeol responds a little too fast yet he never fails to emphasize each and every word.

Baekhyun gulps, horror-struck. Had he been holding his cup, it would have shattered right then and there upon hearing the word: _dream_. His blood drain in his system as his heart thuds painfully in his chest. Nobody knows. Nobody _should_ know that he has been dreaming or else, like what Kyungsoo said, it could be the end of the world for him.

“What are you talking about? Did you know what you just said? The gravity of just saying that word? Are you from this place? Who are you, really?” Baekhyun wants to shout yet he could not. Lest they might get arrested for talking about such topic.

The images from his dreams come rushing to him like big splashes of water hitting his face and Baekhyun is too slow to swim through it. His mind whirls once more, lungs constricting and in a quick heartbeat, he feels danger and weak and fragile and _vulnerable_.

“I am sorry. This is why I came here personally to talk to you,” Chanyeol looks and sound apologetic. However, it is not enough to calm Baekhyun down. “What I did last night was wrong.”

“We could have been killed! What you are doing right now, you are putting me and my brother in danger!” Baekhyun stands up and heads toward where the phone is. “I’m calling the guardians, you are a _traveller_.”

“Do it and get ourselves killed. You are traveller too, Baekhyun. So is your mother and father.”

At that, Baekhyun stops, one hand grapping the phone handle hard that his knuckle turns white. He turns around, eyes flaring and glaring at the visitor. “I am the greatest Soul Hunter of our time. If you have plans of destroying me, you will never succeed. You are our enemy. A lost soul returned. How come your body is not in the sanctuary? And don’t you dare speak about my parents!”

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol pleads, his tone trying to calm and reach Baekhyun. “Your parents need help.”

“Don’t drag them here, you wench!” Baekhyun spits, eyes burning in anger.

“Baekhyun, listen –”

“Enough!” Baekhyun screams, fighting all the urge to punch the man in his face. “If it is true that we have met in my… last night. You have invaded me in my most fragile state. That is enough to sue you.”

“I do not mean harm, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol stands up too, palms clenched at his side. His eyes are more than tired. “I just need help and you are the only one I can trust. Please, Baekhyun. Just listen to me first.”

Baekhyun breathes in and out, closing his eyes and readying himself for another blow. His parents have always been a deep and fresh wound to his memories. “Do you know where my parents are?” Baekhyun asks a little too fast, tone still hard as stone that he wants to throw to Chanyeol so he would leave now. Though he asks, because he wants to know genuinely. He prepares himself for the answer and prays hard not to be shaken by the reply.

“Yes.”

Baekhyun hopes that his face covers all the fear and submission and hurt that he is feeling now. He breathes slowly and deeply, calming his nerves. He walks to the table again, every step feels another stab wounds that cripple his sanity. As much as he wants to report Chanyeol, he knows that he is also risking his life and his brother’s.

“Talk,” Baekhyun says lifelessly, eyes down and still flaring. “Then let me decide if I can do anything. If not, I am sorry, but I am going to turn you in. In no time, we will swear our oath to the kingdom to hunt down all lost souls such as yourself and I cannot break that promise.”

“Don’t you want to find your parents, Baek?”

“You’re not here for my parents, Mr. Park Chanyeol,” he responds coldly and formally, putting a little distance between them because he feels that the man is getting a little too comfortable. “And don’t call me Baek. Tell me what really brings you here so you can leave.”

Chanyeol inhales, as if halting himself to rebut the other man. “I am the last heir of the Park Household and –”

Baekhyun hears it loud and clear yet his mind is struggling to catch up. It takes him a moment before he gasps and feels the blood draining _more_ from his face. His eyes and mouth are wide and in perfect ‘O’. “Wait… you are…” His eyes flutter in disbelief. This cannot be. This cannot be the famous last heir of the Park Household – a family who has more than half of the treasury of their kingdom. “How can you…” Baekhyun tries to bring out some words yet he fails.

“My family owns three quarters of the treasures that this kingdom possesses. Yet the third to the last of our generation lost half of what we have. I need to find those, Baekhyun. If the other family finds it first, we might be in great peril.”

“So, uhm…” Baekhyun stutters, which is very unlikely of him. Park Chanyeol is a royal blood. Baekhyun inhales again and lets his mind catch up. The hard and high walls he is trying to build to fend off the man before him collapse in an instant. “Where… I mean,”

“They say it is inside –”

“No, I mean, where do I get in? Why is it me that you need?”

“Aren’t you the finest Soul Hunter of our time?” Chanyeol replies innocently.

But Baekhyun takes it as a mockery yet he cannot bring himself to roll his eyes and glare at the man in front of him. “Do you know where to find it?” He asks then immediately wants to slap himself real hard.

Chanyeol does not respond but he produces a sharp-edged, rectangular metallic plate from his jacket and he hands it over to Baekhyun. It is still wet and dripping.

_How much better it is to get wisdom than gold; knowledge than fine silver._

Baekhyun reads the inscription thrice, expecting for the words to shuffle before his eyes so they would know the location. But the words do not even blink. “So, how is this the clue?”

“Are you saying that you are willing to help me?”

“No,” Baekhyun answers a little too fast. “I am asking if this is a clue.”

“It might be a clue to what are inside the chests,” Chanyeol says, sounding deflated yet a little hopeful. “Gold and Silver, I don’t know.”

Baekhyun remains silent for a moment, thinking. He flips the metallic plate over and over. He wants to help Chanyeol for whatever treasures he needs to find. But the risks are too much – not now when he wants his parents back. Kyungsoo’s words keep ringing in his ears. The warnings, the threats. The danger of being involved with _travellers_ and _travelling_. The monarch can turn him into dust in an instant.

“Look,” Baekhyun feigns his huff, sitting straight and pushing the plate in front of Chanyeol. He hates to disappoint the man but he is rendered with no choice. His plan on saving his parents and other souls through his paper is risky enough. He does not want another suicide mission. He clasps his hands together and rests it on the table. “I don’t know who you are. I don’t know how or why you knew me but one thing is for sure. I cannot help you, _traveller_. The only thing I can do is for me to let this go and forget that this has ever happened. I am sorry, but I think you can go now.”

Baekhyun stands up but Chanyeol holds his arm, “Wait, Baek. Please. This is for all of us.”

“How is this for all of us?” He flinches at his cold touch.

“I know your oath,” Chanyeol bows his head as he lets go of Baekhyun’s arm. “ _To protect and serve the Great Babylon against the forces that threaten to harm its people._ ”

“I’m glad that you knew the last line. Please, the night is not getting any younger now. Go.”

“I am living my oath, Baekhyun.”

“You are a _traveller_.”

“And you are a traveller too. What difference do you make?” Chanyeol holds his gaze and for the first time, Baekhyun sees the determination and firmness in those eyes.

“I live by the rules. I obey it. If I do travel, it is against my will.”

“It is against my will too, but will the court believe you? They will do the same thing like what they did to every other man who returns to his body. Punish and kill instead of rejoicing that they came back.”

“Those who return are not the same people anymore. Do you know how many have died because of their crimes?”

“I told you, there are entities out there that held the Souls back. If you do not help me, the true Souls of the bodies here will never make it. The more unconscious bodies, the more they will attract vile creatures who wish to go to this world. They see the bodies as empty vessels and they want it to cause pain.”

Baekhyun remains mum, his eyes are nothing but cold though his heart is beating against his decision. But he remains strong and holds the door open for the man. It is just too cruel and Baekhyun is not like this. But it is not like he can do anything about it.

“I am not wrong to trust you, Baekhyun, with such an important matter like this. And I am still hoping that I am not wrong when I told myself that you are different from the people living here. They fear the things that they don’t understand. And I cannot fathom what people can do when they are afraid.”

“I’m sorry,” Baekhyun says, lifeless. His hand trembles as it holds the knob, his body shivers at the coldness of the wind outside and his heart is as heavy as the footsteps of his visitor as he makes his way to the door.

Now that Chanyeol is close, Baekhyun sees that he is tall. Really tall as the man towers over him. It is a wrong move that Baekhyun raises his eyes up to meet the other’s gaze. Chanyeol’s eyes are nothing but hurt, disappointed, and _tired_. Baekhyun wishes they speak of anger but Chanyeol’s eyes never harden.

“Turning me down, Baekhyun, means you have turned down the kingdom you are serving even before you could swear your oath.”

“Have a safe trip home, Mr. Park Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol smiles flatly. “There is still so much to learn about the world, Baekhyun. More than the books you are reading. Don’t let this human arrogance consume you whole. I hope you still have it in you to care for the welfare of those who brought you to this world.”

“You’re not the one to talk.”

“They need you, Baek. _We_ need you.”

***

“So how is Mr. Park? Have you given him what he wants?”

 _So that was not a dream_. Baekhyun confirms a bubble of thought that plagues him the moment he opens his eyes this morning. He gulps on his noodles and hurries to finish it. “I think I helped a lot by turning him down,” he mutters nonchalantly.

“You did? Why?” Baekbeom queries further, sitting in front of him and packing his lunch. “This is the first time I saw him, though. Is he a senior? Two years older than you?”

“Nope,” Baekhyun slurps again, almost choking at the lies that he will say next. “He is not from school. He is a friend of the friend of my friend.”

“That’s a pretty far relationship,” Baekbeom carefully places the packed lunch on his bag. “What did he want?”

Baekhyun mentally debates if it is right to tell his brother. If it is right to tell him _now_ or if it is right to tell him _anything_. They have both carried the harsh blows when their parents left and lost themselves in an _imaginary world_. However, Baekhyun knows that deep inside, it is Baekbeom who hurts the most.

“What? Is it something private? You can’t tell me?” Baekbeom teases him, plastering his playful smile and pretty much suggesting that it has something to do with one of the boys chasing his poor little Baekhyun. “Is he asking permission to court you or–”

“He says he knows where Mom and Dad are.”

Baekhyun sees his brother freezing at the mention of their parents. His eyes flash emotions of surprised then hurt then anger. “What did he want?” He repeats himself, this time his tone is a lot harder. “Why did he come here?”

“He says they are _travelling_ too and they need help,” Baekhyun admits with no hesitation and inhibition. After all, Baekbeom is all he has in this dangerous world. “I’m sorry, I know I should have turned him in to the sentinels. But I was afraid we’ll be suspected of doing that.”

“ _Too_? You mean he is a _traveller_?” Baekbeom raises his eyebrows in response and lowering his voice meaningfully, looking alarmed. “Baekhyun, I think I have been clear that I don’t want you associating yourselves with that kind of people. Should I lose you too? Are my parents not enough?”

Baekhyun sees the tears brimming in his eyes and he feels himself cracking in front of his brother and for a moment he wants to kill himself for bringing the topic. Their parents are still a fresh wound. “Hey, hyung, it’s not that. He came here asking for help. I don’t know him. This is the secon– first time I saw him. I’m sorry, hyung. I should have turned him in.”

“No,” Baekbeom sighs, sitting down as if he has lost all the energy to even stand up. He looks at Baekhyun straight in the eyes. “You’ve done the right thing. Are you sure he knows where mom and dad are?”

“That’s what he said. Look, hyung –”

“You should have helped him, Baek. We could’ve saved our parents from–”

“It’s dangerous. For a moment I want to help too. But it is dangerous. What if I’m risking too much?” Baekhyun says, voice melancholic and afraid. “And I’m not sure if we can trust him. What if he is one of the sentinels? Just framing me so we will be caught too. The monarch has done so much to destroy this family.” His lips quivers at the overwhelming emotions of pain and longing and fear yet his heart beats against his words because he knows deep down Park Chanyeol is a just another lost soul who needs his _help_.

“What if he is the only way to rescue our parents?”

“Hyung, I have other plans. The Park Chanyeol way is too much, please.” Baekhyun swallows another lump on his throat, tears lingering on his lids and they almost want to fall when he sees his brother struggling not to cry in front of him. “I just can’t lose you too if I fail.”

“Let’s talk once you are home,” Baekbeom dismisses him, looking pained as he exits the dining room. “You’re running late. Go now.”

Baekhyun goes to school with a heavy heart. Eyes down and shoulders sagged, he surprises himself that his feet could still carry him in front of the school gates. Irritation, disappointment, and hurt brew inside him. The images of that Park Chanyeol swirl in his mind and his words plague his heart. He feels useless.

Baekhyun finds himself asking too many questions. Like he is put in another philosophy class where the number of questions are more than the number of answers. Some are trivial: _Why does it have to be Baekhyun? How did Chanyeol find him? What is his connection to the treasure chests?_ Some others are questions he cannot bring himself to ask: _Why does he travel? Why does Chanyeol travel? Why did they meet in his dreams?_ Some are so shrouded in mystery that Baekhyun shiver just by thinking of it: _How on earth did Chanyeol find out who Baekhyun is?_

Because as much as Baekhyun wants to deny it, Chanyeol speak with such comfort and ease and familiarity that from an outside perspective, it is possible that they could be mistaken as _close friends_.

 _Baek_. Baekhyun can hear Chanyeol loud and clear. He can hear the way he rolls his name off his tongue like they know each other for a long time. He can see the way Chanyeol walks to him with no inhibition like he could really trust Baekhyun with his life. _Why?_

The buzzing in the main hall cracks Baekhyun out of his trance but his mind never stops whirling. It whirls even more when he sees their daily messenger on the small dais before the entrance to the classrooms, delivering his daily messages from the capitol. A thick crowd stands before him.

“…This is because he is a traveller. Yet we are still to confirm if he is already under the custody of the Sentinels. He should be punished in accordance with the law,” the messenger speaks with such vigour that Baekhyun pales in an instant. “He is a threat to humanity. A threat to us all!”

Baekhyun stops on his tracks, petrified. Have they found out that he is also travelling? But Baekhyun can testify that it is against his will and he remains faithful to the monarch. Faithful even if they have his parents under their cruel hands. His stomach lurches and for a moment, he wants to go out and vomit.

_It cannot be. It cannot be. It cannot be._

He runs away from the crowd and turns around a corridor, heart on his throat. No one has to see him but as he turns around the corner, Luhan finds him. Grim is painted across his face and Baekhyun’s heart falls.

“Baekhyun,” Luhan speaks and this one word contains so much warning and threats. His best friend has never been this serious all their lives.

“Did they find out?” Baekhyun’s voice is barely a whisper and it is even more incomprehensible because of the way it wavers when he rolls the question off his tongue.

“Yeah,” Luhan takes small steps toward him. “The last heir of the Park Household has been kidnapped. And –”

“I’m sor… Wait, what?” Baekhyun’s widens in horror, his stomach churning. “What do you mean?” He wishes Luhan would not see through his eyes, would not feel the racing of his heart. His mind has not catch up yet to what is happening but his body tells him it is not good news. Whether it concerns him or not.

“The last heir of the Park Household has been kidnapped,” Luhan repeats himself. “But some says he has been arrested by the Sentinels. He is a _traveller_.”

“So it’s Chanyeol?” Baekhyun whispers but loud enough this time for Luhan to hear him clearly.

Luhan creases his forehead in confusion, taken aback. “What Chanyeol? Who is he?”

Baekhyun pays no heed to Luhan’s query because the overwhelming feeling of ease engulfs his body. It is not him. He has not been and will never be accused of _travelling_. However, disgust has been following the trails of his comfort and Baekhyun grimaces, a thought popping on his head. If it is not him, then it is someone else. And that someone else is no other than Park Chanyeol.

Baekhyun should not care but the painful tugs gnaw his insides. Unconsciously, he looks at Luhan straight in the eyes, completely forgetting that there is a pending question he needs to answer.

“Baekhyun?”

“When was Chanyeol arreste– kidnapped?”

“Who is Chanyeol, Baekhyun?” Luhan’s confusion is slowly turning into a suspicion.

“The last heir of the Park Household is Park Chanyeol,” Baekhyun answers a little too quickly, his tone is quivering in his heightened pitch. “Tell me, when was he kidnapped? Last night? This morning?”

It cannot be that Chanyeol has been arrested the moment he stepped out of the Byun’s house. Because if that is the case, Baekhyun is guilty in one way or another. He might have threatened Chanyeol into turning him in to the Sentinels but he can attest to himself that he does not have the heart to do such cruelty. After all, the Sentinels are responsible for their parents leaving them.

Luhan’s tone hardens when he replies. “3:00 am. Baek, since when did you care about the Royal Family? Is there something going on that I should know?”

It is fortunate for Baekhyun to be a _quick_ critical thinker because he has thought of an excuse that will dissolve the suspicion that he sees brewing in his best friend’s eyes. “Paper. I’m choosing question number three.”

Luhan scoffs, but softer this time. “I don’t see the reason why you have to know about that last heir.”

“Han,” Baekhyun tries to smile, disgust rising up in his throat. “This could be a strong evidence since the incident is very timely and relevant. Do not worry too much, my paper is doing fine. How about yours?”

“I don’t have plans on doing it until next week,” Luhan sighs. “Any way, there is really something I want to tell you.”

“What is it?” Baekhyun smiles, concealing his fears and worries.

“Kyungsoo,” Luhan speaks his name with dread and grim. “Something happened last night.”

“What?” Baekhyun’s qualms heightened once more at the mention of his lover’s name. “What do you mean something happened?”

“Kyungsoo is lost.”

“What? Where? Where did he go? We walked home together and we talked –”

“ _Lost_ , Baekhyun,” Luhan repeats himself as if arriving at a point. Voice so low that Baekhyun struggles to hear. “He didn’t wake up today.”

“What the fuck, Han? What are you talking about?” Baekhyun screeches with a shattered voice. He asks even though he knows what each word means. He suddenly feels nauseas and it is too late to realize that he has slumped on the floor. Luhan keeps saying his name but he has lost it. His face is wet with tears he cannot feel.

 _Not again. Not Kyungsoo._ Baekhyun feels his world crumbling down again. The same pain surmounting when he found out his parents had been brought to the sanctuary, accused of travelling.

“Baek, please. Put yourself together!” Luhan shouts at his ears. “Nobody knows except me and his family. There is no time to waste! Damn it!”

But Baekhyun does not hear a word. The white walls of the corridors continue to twirl before his eyes.

“As of today, 59 bodies have been reported unconscious,” the daily messenger speaks from a distance. “Only 36 have been brought to the sanctuary. Have you had any knowledge on the remaining bodies, please come to the capitol and submit their names and their location. We cannot afford another heinous crimes committed by those who returned.”

***

Baekhyun spends all afternoon staring at the pages of the books he is supposed to read. Many times, he has caught himself forcing his will to read and understand. But the issues concerning his lover Do Kyungsoo and the last heir of the Park Household had been in his mind since this morning.

_What happened? What’s happening?_

Lifeless, he fixes his things and returns all the books to the shelf mechanically. He almost curses out loud as he stumbles over a large metallic chest that _should not supposed to be there_ in the first place. Since when did the librarian put something like that in front of the shelves? He grunts even more at the new waves of questions that never tire to plague him. Baekhyun sighs loudly and, for a moment, wants to silence his thoughts to remove the haze and think clearly. He wonders how much of a relief it would be if his mind will just shut up.

Breathing in and out and calming himself – which have been futile since early this morning, Baekhyun yearns to go and see his Master Yixing. He needs someone to talk to. Someone who understands, someone who _knows_. Luhan can be one of the best people to go to but he has been dissenting issues about the _Lost Souls_.

He wants to ask everything about Lost Souls; how they came to be; why they are dangerous; why dreaming is bad; and why do they even dream all. Any the essential things about it – hoping it would help him bring Kyungsoo back and his parents without dragging the monarch and their Sentinels in the picture. It surprises him a lot that his loud mind cannot give him a good question that will get him the answers he needed without raising Master Yixing’s suspicions.

Kyungsoo is in great danger now but Baekhyun does not want to go home without a key. Without answers. Without anything that might get him back. He is tired of feeling useless.

 _Damn it_. Baekhyun cries silently, sobbing to himself painfully, and he gathers his things and prepares to go out. The sleeves of his polo are wet with his tears. Before completely stepping out of the library, he settles onto his resolve to ask for information about question number three – which he finds very lame. But he has hopes that maybe it will lead to the matter he wants to learn the most. Baekhyun sniffs his tears away. He has to be strong for the people he loves.

Baekhyun’s steps are heavy yet his feet tap lightly against the cold stoned-floors. The silence of the halls makes his thoughts scream louder at him. Throwing questions that he fails to answer. Questions he fails to understand. His breaths are uneven and he has the faintest idea why.

He does not like this. The feeling of the _unknown_. The feeling of being _lost_. Baekhyun always wants everything to be planned and he cannot afford his life to go out of hand. _Out of his control_. But things are in the ways they are not supposed to be and Baekhyun does not know what to do, how muck to risk.

He has never been a philosophizer in his whole life. He does not give a damn about the complexities of life and how the universe affect the way of human living. He does not care about destiny and purpose. For him, life is to live according to his own will, own plan and this is exactly what he is doing. Life is meant to be lived that way. However, _things_ are happening and as much as he wants to deny, his fear has been at its golden peak since his dreams become so vivid. He is scared because he does not understand.

 _Fuck it! Not Kyungsoo too, please._ His rambled mind wails.

Baekhyun is never the one to ask. But right now, he just wants to scream his question at the heavens on why things are happening like this? He does not believe in the existence of a superior being but right now, he aims the question at that entity, _what has he done to deserve such pain of losing the most important people in his life?_

 _There is something wrong_ , Baekhyun heaves another deep breath, trying to connect some dots. Since his dreams had happened and Chanyeol appeared both in his sleeping and waking life. There is something really wrong. Maybe this is a form of revenge from the Lost Souls for not helping the last heir of the Park Family?

And as much as he wants to dismiss every question in the spectrum like he always does, this time, he wants to find out _all the answers_.

When Baekhyun _wakes_ up from his trance, he is already in front of massive wooden doors. Slightly taken aback at that sudden realization, he composes himself first before knocking. Fixing his tie and his hair and wiping his eyes. Clearing his throat to remove the rasp in his voice, Baekhyun knocks twice and he awaits for that dreamy voice from the other side of the door to respond. But no voice is heard. Adamant to see his master albeit he is not sure if his reasons are acceptable, he knocks again. Thrice this time and louder. But the attempt is, once more, futile.

Baekhyun’s heart races because he cannot leave the school without anything. He cannot go to Kyungsoo _without anything_. So even though it is rude, he comes in without permission. “Master?” He calls gently.

After bobbing his head on the door and feeling stupid, he steps inside fully. The door closes gently behind him with a swift of his foot. The room has been the same: polished floor boards, thick books well-aligned on the shelves, yet he feels different. There is a tinge in the air that was not there before that he _cannot_ _understand_.

He expects no one to be there but the sniffs are loud and clear. A slacking figure, on the right shelf, whose back faces Baekhyun is too concrete.

It is Master Yixing yet Baekhyun cannot quite believe himself when he sees his teacher crying. Master Yixing, after all, is a terror of all the terror teachers in the academy. Another question seeps through Baekhyun’s mind. _What happened_?

“I’m sorry,” Baekhyun is shocked, cheeks warming in embarrassment and feeling very much impolite. He has invaded a private moment. He says his apologies and farewell even if it is against his will. “For entering without your permission, Master. I will go now. I really am sorr –”

“Don’t be,” Master Yixing responds, hoarse and broken yet Baekhyun does not fail to recognize the sternness laced behind his cracked voice. “What is it that you need, Mr. Byun?” He turns around, revealing his swollen eyes as he wipes his nose with the back of his palm without shame.

Baekhyun almost forgets to speak. The man in front of him looks too broken to be their strict Master Yixing. “Uhm,” he stutters, bowing his head and his eyes trailing on the floor. “I am… to, just to ask something about our final paper.”

Master Yixing chuckles lightly, “My apologies for seeing me at this state, Mr. Byun. What particulars in the paper?”

“No, Master. Please, do not apologize. I was the one who break in, I am sorry. I could go back tomorrow if you deem this time to be inappropriate,” he says _against his will_. For fucking formality’s sake.

Master Yixing smiles once more, a bright smile which contradicts the strains in his eyes. “It is fine. I am in need of a company also. I’ve been with myself since earlier this morning so a question about your paper will be a fresh air. Please, Mr. Byun, have a seat.”

“Thank you, Master.” Baekhyun takes hesitant steps towards the couch opposite his master. His heart leaping in joy though he remains his head hanging low. “But if you feel any inconvenience because of my presence today, please feel free to send me off.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Master Yixing chuckles again. “May I ask the question you chose for our final paper?” Baekhyun is about to mouth his answer when his master speaks again. “But before that, it surprises me to see you now. How come that the best student in this group have any troubles with his paper? Well, unless you chose the last question which I think is not the case.”

Baekhyun blushes at the praise, looking embarrassed. Even his teachers know he is not a man of questions. But he clears his throat right away to reply, “I did, Master. I chose question number three. Are there two worlds or just one?”

He does not expect Master Yixing to be so repelled at his choice. But his master’s eyes are clearly shouting a question akin to _why did you choose that?_ It does not take another moment before Master Yixing voices out the words Baekhyun sees in his eyes. “Why? Why question number three?”

“I know it will be rude to ask, Master. But that is the exact same thing I would want to ask you. Why did you include question number three? You must have reasons for asking that. Today is a very dangerous time to discuss that topic and I know you do not mean harm to any of your students,” Baekhyun attempts to stray the topic and redirect it to the things he needs to know.

If Master Yixing is taken aback, Baekhyun can attest that he does not see it. “I did not know you are a person of _whys_. Correct me if I’m wrong but you told me you don’t believe in _purpose_? Is this about your parents?”

Baekhyun smiles weakly though the last question shakes his walls. He dodges it by answering only the first. “You can say that, Master. But there are a lot of times that I find myself asking why for I am a curious human being, too. Would you give me an answer to this?”

Master Yixing leans back on his chair, crossing his legs and resting his hands sluggishly on his knees. Smiling gently as if he wants to invite Baekhyun into a world he only knows. “I’ve never had any friends, Mr. Byun as you can see, in this academy. Only Kim Suho, your teacher in Ethics and Kim Minseok, a teacher in Theology. I am a teacher of Philosophy. You can actually see our common grounds.”

Baekhyun does not know if he means it as a question so he keeps mum, eyes focused on his master’s face. However, when the latter does not speak, Baekhyun feels the need to respond. “The three of you ask a lot of questions compared to the other teachers. The courses you teach take students to a different kind of _knowledge_. Something that is near yet far from Science, Mathematics, or Language.”

Baekhyun joins in, feigning, when Master Yixing bursts out laughing. For a moment, he feels weird and he wants to rush home but he needs to put up with this if he wants answers.

“That is correct, Mr. Byun. Though I must admit that I was not expecting that answer. I will make sure to tell the other teachers that. Anyway, I would want to emphasize your first statement,” he says after calming down a bit from laughing. A big smile is still on his face. “Question is the start of everything, Mr. Byun. Do you know what I am saying?”

“I’m afraid, no, Master. What do you mean?” Baekhyun furrows his eyebrows in confusion. _Question is the start of what? Life?_ As much as he wants to blurt those out, he stays silent.

“A famous quotation once said, everybody saw the apple fell but only Newton asked why.” He gives Baekhyun a meaningful look. “And you can see that Newton’s Laws of Motions that we talk about today in Science was born. Do you remember the very first question I asked in our first session?”

Baekhyun, being a bright student, remembers and he answers mechanically. “ _Who are you?_ ”

“There,” Master Yixing beams triumphantly. “Some of your classmates found themselves at that simple question. And you, too, Mr. Byun found out who you are.”

“Really?” Baekhyun is taken aback. Clearly, Master Yixing does not know what he is saying at this moment.

“Remember you said you don’t believe in purpose and meaning in life,” Master Yixing speaks and his tone resembles that of an adult talking to a kid as if he is too young to understand. “Life is not meant to be lived in finding ones purpose but to live according to your own will. Isn’t it you finding out that you are a _nihilist_?”

“Why are you telling me this, Master?” Baekhyun vividly remembers that day. When he and Kyungsoo almost mocked Master Yixing for such asking such a stupid question and they ridiculed their classmates for talking about finding the meaning of their lives. “I’m sorry, I do not understand.”

Master Yixing smiles once more and it is another one that Baekhyun cannot quite comprehend. There is a glint in his eyes, even though still a little swollen. “I’m glad for another wonderful question, Mr. Byun. _Why_?”

Baekhyun’s mind is swirling but he suddenly feels light. There is something inside him that wants to consume him whole. _Answers? Knowledge?_ He does not know but he finds himself wanting to stay for more of his master’s words. He does not speak anymore and leans forward to listen.

“I am sad but I must admit, in all honesty, that this academy is afraid,” Master Yixing starts. His eyes begin to wander on the walls of his circular room, shifting from shelf to shelf. “Afraid of the unknown. And people do terrible things when they are afraid. I think it is time for us to understand who these _travellers_ are.”

Baekhyun’s heart quickens and his eyes round in a perfect ‘O’. If he is not mistaken, Park Chanyeol said the same thing. Last night. This is where Baekhyun wants to be right now. The story about the _travellers._ Lost Souls.

“Master, are there any more accounts written about _travellers_? The mainstream literature that we have says nothing about them being… monsters.” Baekhyun leans forward, keen on listening.

Baekhyun sees the bright smile of his master waning. It is still there but it is more of a sad smile. “My boy,” he says, looking like he is recounting some old memories. At this point, his master looks at him straight in the eyes. “ _Travellers_ are not cursed as what this society believes. _Dreamers_ are not people with mental disabilities. They are just blessed enough to know that there is more in this world. I included the question for my students to find out themselves about who they really are.”

 _Question is the start of everything_. At back of Baekhyun’s mind he wonders what his master wants to start with that question number three. “They are the _Lost Souls_ , Master,” Baekhyun speaks as if reminding his master and himself about the danger that these – as what he calls it – _blessed people_ impose. “Are you starting a revolution against the academy with your students at the forefront of the war?”

His master’s smile turns sadder, his eyes a little exhausted. “Those who do not know are those that are lost. Remember that, Baekhyun.”

 _Baekhyun_. He calls him by his name like there has always been a familiarity between the two of them. He knows that Master Yixing is fond of him but only now does he feel that genuine affection like he has always been one of his children.

“And I am not starting a revolution against this academy,” Master Yixing continues, trying to bring back his soft smile yet his eyes turn harder. “I’m sparking a revolution against the inhumanity that this society worships.”

“Is it true?” Baekhyun asks, heart on his throat as he tries to shift the conversation. Sweat beads form on his forehead and on his nape. “That he has been arrested for _travelling_? Is dreaming really that bad?” He does not need to mention the name. The Royal Family is a well-known in the lands of Babylon.

“People do terrible things when they are afraid,” he repeats, as if making a point, his voice is still soft yet there is danger behind the words. “I do not know if he is really arrested, there are no confirmations yet from the monarch. If he is, then it is too late to for his family to find it. If he is not, there is a big chance that the Sentinels are taking advantage of the situation to inflict fear and discourage people to venture out of the cave.”

“ _It_ ,” Baekhyun responds, tone so low he is not sure if his master has heard, but he continues speaking. “ _It_ meaning the lost treasures of the Park Household?”

Master Yixing looks taken aback and this time, he does not bother hiding it from him. His eyes display fear, hands grasping on the edge of the couch. “Byun Baekhyun, I know you are the brightest Soul Hunter of your time but you surprise me with the knowledge you have. How did you know that?” He looks anguished and pained and suspicious.

“I asked first, Master,” Baekhyun acts boldly, strengthening his demeanour despite the loud booming of his frightened heart. “Forgive me. But what do you know about the lost treasures of the Royal Family?”

Master Yixing eyes Baekhyun carefully, his gazes guarded. Yet a moment after, he exhales a lungful of air before leaning forward: elbows on his thighs, hands clasped, fingers intertwined. “The lost treasures of the Park Family have something to do with the _travellers_.”

“Gold and Silvers? Gems?” Baekhyun raises his eyebrows. “They need those to...”

Their topics move from here to here yet it leads to one thing: _Lost Souls_ – the bottom line of question number three, Park Chanyeol on his dreams, the lost treasures of the Royal Family. And hopefully, hopefully this will lead to Kyungsoo’s rescue.

Baekhyun breathes in and out, taking this short moment to decide whether it is a good move to tell his master. He hates it. He hates the fact that he has not planned this talk with him and now he suffocates himself with the thoughts of possible consequences of his _unplanned_ moves. However, for the first time, he takes a great leap reminding himself that this is for the people he loves. Whatever the cost about his encounter with Park Chanyeol.

“How much better it is to get wisdom than gold,” Master Yixing speaks meaningfully. “Knowledge than fine Silver.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your turn, Baekhyun, please. Answer me. How did you know this?” Master Yixing prompts again. “About the lost treasures?”

“I…” Baekhyun starts, stuttering as his controls the flow of words from his thoughts. He starts to feel uneasy again but there is a tug in him saying that he can trust his master of all people. “I met with Mr. Park Chanyeol. Last night, he visited my –”

“He was at your house last night?” Master Yixing gasps agonizingly, finishing Baekhyun’s sentence. “You turned him in? You turned him in, didn’t you?”

“No, no. Master, I did not,” Baekhyun answers immediately, waving his hand frantically, very afraid for his master to get the wrong idea. His heart pounces painfully in his chest. “He came to me and I found out that he is – wait, you knew? Master, you knew that he is a traveller?”

“Whether or not I know that he travels is not the question here, Mr. Byun. Tell me, why did he come to you?” He is back at being distant and stern again. His voice is low but Baekhyun feels like he is shouting.

“He asks for help. Also about the lost treasures,” Baekhyun admits with no hesitation. “I do not know why he came to me but he said I’m the only one he can trust.”

Master Yixing does not respond so silence cloaks them for a long while. Baekhyun tries to feel the regret of coming here but none came. Even though the conversation has come to this, he admits that he feels going here is right.

“Master Yixing,” Baekhyun speaks again, holding his chance of throwing another question. “How are the treasures connected to the _travellers_?”

“The Royal Family has been a big critic of the monarch,” Master Yixing starts, voice solemn and soft. “Their dispute has long started since the era where people can dream freely.”

“People can dream freely?” Baekhyun mirrors the words with audible gasps of shock. “How is that possible?”

“We are all dreamers, Baek,” Master Yixing answers him gently. “Our soul travels every time we sleep. And our dreams are the fragmented memories of our souls during their journey.”

Baekhyun’s mouth is shaped a perfect ‘O’, surprised that there is an explanation behind something so taboo. He understands now why there is always a two Baekhyun in his dreams. And he has been right when he theorized that maybe there are two Baekhyun entities: a physical body and a soul. He speaks no more, signalling Master Yixing to continue his story.

“The Park Family has been, let us say, so invested in knowledge. Chanyeol’s great-great-great grandfather had read a lot and he had always a say to every move of the monarch. A week before he fell in comatose – do you know the word?”

“Comatose?” Baekhyun repeats, the word foreign in his ears.

“Comatose is modern medical term used to describe a state of profound unconsciousness. In this time, they are those who left their bodies. You see here, Baek, comatose is not new a concept. People in the modern times are diagnosed with comatose. Their families wait for ten or more years – some of them came back alive. Alive and just the way they were.”

Baekhyun’s lips quiver slightly so he bites it. Hope is sparking inside him for his parents and Kyungsoo and all other people out there. His heart is screaming hope.

“A week before he fell in comatose, he told the public that he is to reveal the evil things that threaten the nation, reveal about the false values they are believing in, and the tools that people in authority are using to control the minds of the people. To expose of the conspiracies the monarch committed. It is foolishness to think that he has been shot by a random thief in the hopes to get the treasures.”

“The monarch killed him? Chanyeol’s grandfather? That is an obvious playbook.”

“They attempted,” Master Yixing clarifies. “But the hired gunman was not skilled enough to end the old man’s life. He was in comatose for two weeks. Travellers are already existing in the time. They enjoy the liberty of visiting another world aside from this one. And the monarch, afraid of the old man’s return, banned everyone from leaving their bodies.”

“Banned everyone from leaving their bodies? To stop dreaming.”

Master Yixing nods. “And banned everyone from ever returning. They cannot kill the old man since it will spark another war. Park was such a public figure and a mass favourite. The monarch cannot risk and lose the trust of the people. Such harm has been done already.”

“There is more to the story,” Baekhyun utters when his master stopped speaking. He yearns for more explanation. “There is more isn’t it? There are some… _things_ that invade people’s bodies.”

“We don’t know that yet. But whoever or whichever causes havoc in our city, the monarch is making a good use of it. It just strengthens their notion to ban the travel and label _travellers_ as criminals. Now, putting the lost treasures in the picture… it is believed to contain the knowledge on how to get the _Souls_ back to their bodies. _Safely_.”

“ _Wisdom better than Gold, knowledge than fine silver,”_ Baekhyun borrows his master’s words, halting a gasp of exasperation at the downpour of information. “I remember what Park Chanyeol told me, if the other family finds it first, we might be in great peril.”

“The monarch. If they get hold of the chests, nobody who ever left will be able to come back. And if my theory is correct, more vile soul-monsters will go to this world.”

“Why?” Baekhyun asks once more. One more. To complete a puzzle. “What is it with the soul-monsters?”

“You don’t know what other _entities_ do just to live in this world. But Spirits cannot so much affect the human world if they don’t have vessels.”

“Vessels,” Baekhyun mirrors the word, tasting bane in his own mouth. “You mean bodies.”

“These soul-monsters have but one purpose. To cause pain and suffering in this world. And they need a body to do it. More _empty bodies_ , more chances of winning the lottery: a ticket to this world.”

Not only the souls of Kyungsoo and his parents are in great danger. Their bodies as well and Baekhyun trembles at the thoughts of soul-monsters possessing the bodies of the people he love. His heart clenches once again, tears on his lids.

“The monarch? Do they know about the Souls and the soul-monsters? How do they know soul-monsters are the ones inside a body?”

“That’s the thing,” Master Yixing snaps his fingers in exasperation. “The monarch doesn’t care whether it is a soul or a monster.”

“But,” Baekhyun swallows a lump on his throat. “but if we prove that Souls and soul-monsters are different, then maybe… they can come back?”

“Safely,” Master Yixing adds the word, a soft and hopeful smile flitting across his face. “This is the reason I include question number three. Maybe the monarch will listen to the voices of the soul hunters.”

“Thank you, Master,” Baekhyun also smiles though tears are starting to well on his lids. He tries to focus as he reassures himself that he is on the right track in choosing that question. If the Souls will come back, the monarch has to be prepared to receive them. “Will you help me, then? In this paper? I am very much determined to be published so people can understand.”

“I will,” his master agrees. Baekhyun is about to bid his farewell and think of the next steps to protect Kyungsoo’s body and bring his soul back when Master Yixing speaks again. “What did you say? You shooed him away?” He asks, words laced with pain. Baekhyun can see his struggle in not letting his tears fall but they are already brimming in his lids. Both of them can see how one wants to cry at the moment, but deep inside of them, this is not the time to show weakness.

Baekhyun must have master to control his impulses because he wants to ask who Park Chanyeol is to his Master but different words came out. “I’m sorry,” he bows his head and a tear falls. He wonders, of all the emotions he has to feel right now, why does it have to be _shame_? “For a moment, I wanted to help. But I think it is already enough for me to lose my parents. I cannot lose my brother too, or Kyungsoo if I agreed to help Mr. Park Chanyeol.”

“I understand. If only there is a way of knowing where he is…” Master Yixing sighs, agonizingly. “If only –”

“Master,” Baekhyun calls again and he surprises himself that he feels no hesitation of revealing things that can get him killed. “Last night was not the first time we met.”

“When was the first time? Where?” He gives him a determined look, eager to know more.

“The night before,” Baekhyun meets his gaze, unwavering amidst the fear rising in his throat. “In my dreams.”

***

“I’ll bring you back,” Baekhyun whispers in Kyungsoo’s ears. “I promise. Whatever it takes I’ll bring you back.”

It has been two hours since Baekhyun arrived in Do’s household. Kyungsoo’s parents had been crying with him all throughout the afternoon, uttering their prayers of protection. It is only now that they left Baekhyun alone with their son and it is only now that Baekhyun has finally willed himself to cry in his heart content.

He holds Kyungsoo’s hand hard, their skin reddening at the contact. “Please, Soo. Can you hear me? Come back. Come back to me.” He presses his lips on the back of his palm, feeling his soft skin and pouring all his longing on that one single kiss. “Soo,” he sobs, chest heaving with painful intake of breaths. “I don’t know what to do. Please, come back now.”

The sun has come down now and the colors outside the window are changed to dark blue sprinkled with glittering stars. Another hour passes in a blur and Baekhyun finds it in himself to stand up and go home. He promises to come back early tomorrow with the hopes of seeing his Kyungsoo alive and awake and safe. He utters once more his own _prayer_ of protection before putting his lips softly on his lover’s. He stays like that for a while as his tears stain Kyungsoo’s beautiful face.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, love.”

If Baekhyun left the house earlier with a heavy heart, he returns with a heavier one. His shoulders sag at the unseen weight that he feels he is carrying. He drowns once more on the negative emotions that come like big, splashing waves. Baekhyun can see them coming yet he cannot do anything to stop them. He cannot even swim so the water continues to drag him down.

His parents left. Kyungsoo is lost. Chanyeol is kidnapped. And he – he is guilty for being a traveller himself.

He rushes to Baekbeom’s room to confide with him but he finds him sleeping so he goes to his own room instead. Abandoning his school things on his bed side table, he immediately walks to his massive shelf of books to procure some information himself. Master Yixing’s words resound in him. If it is true that he is starting a revolution against the inhumanity of the monarch, Baekhyun is whole-heartedly volunteering to be in the forefront of that war.

If Park Chanyeol comes to him to ask for his help and if his brother and teacher think it is alright to help him then they must be right. If helping Chanyeol would uncover the mysteries of the Lost Souls and the second world that would eventually lead to the return of all those who travelled, he is signing up for it. Heck, he would apologize to Chanyeol if the man asks to!

As he reaches on top of the shelf to get the thickest book, a necklace with a cross pendant falls on the floor. Baekhyun is startled and it takes him a long moment before he drops the book on the table to retrieve the necklace. It is rusty already. Dust gathers on the hinges and on the indentions on the cross. The once silver chain has turned copper.

Baekhyun finds himself smiling; remembering that day when his father gave it to him. He rests it on his palm, the chain dangling on his fingers. There is a taste of pain and sorrow and longing and happiness altogether. If he knew first hand that it was the last day that he will see his parents, he would not have accepted it. The grand necklace will not be so much of a reminder of the precious things he lost.

Baekhyun should have known the meaning behind his father’s sad eyes. It is as if he knows what is going to happen.

_“Promise me to always wear this,” his father asked, a soft and bright smile playing on his lips as he taps his little Baekhyun’s hair._

_Baekhyun pouts, eyes travelling to his father’s eyes then on the floor. “It is okay not to give this to me, Papa. You will be sad if you lose this necklace.”_

_“I will be sad if I lose you more than that necklace. At least when you are wearing that, I know my precious things are safe.”_

It has been four years since he stopped wearing the necklace. Light as it is, but the weight is too much on his neck, bile always rising up on his throat as it serves as a living reminder that his father has been replaced with a damned cross necklace.

“You said you’ll come back,” Baekhyun whispers under his breath, lungs constricting a little. He clasps the necklace around his neck again, feeling the coldness of the metal in his skin. “Where are you now? If it is true that Park Chanyeol knows where you are, then is it right to help him? What if I’m risking too much?”

Because of all the questions that he asked himself today, _‘why does it have to be him’_ is one of the things that overwhelm him the most. As far as he can remember, he has not met the last heir of the Park Household all his life. So why does he come to him like he knew him so well? Like he trusts him enough?

Exhaustion drains Baekhyun even without lifting a finger to open the book that he got. Indeed, there is truth in what Master Yixing said: Question is the start of everything. And for Baekhyun, questions are the start of his insanity that will eventually lead to his death. He shudders at the thought.

Yawning, he throws himself on his bed with a promise that when he wakes up, he will start reading and think more clearly. He goes to bed with the hope that Chanyeol visits him so they can talk. With a long and quiet sight, he closes his eyes and falls into a deep slumber.

***

Baekhyun awakes to the feeling of scorching heat on his throat and he struggles to breathe. He shouts to call his brother and ask for a glass of water but he is voiceless, throat seemingly scratched by a sand paper. He feels heavy as he reaches for his bedside lamp with a futile attempt. When he flutters his eyes open, he sees nothing but darkness. He wonders if the electricity has been cut off but immediately dismisses the idea when he feels his fan functioning properly.

 _What’s wrong?_ He asks. _Did hyung turn off my lights?_ Baekbeom knows that Baekhyun cannot sleep without his lights on, so why would he? Unless the switch or the wires malfunctioned, it is really his brother’s fault.

However, Baekhyun’s heart quickens when he also struggles to get up as if something is pulling him down. The darkness in the room feels different. It is as if his eyes are the ones covered with a dark film. Something is wrong. The familiar floating feeling is back again. The familiar weight of the air holding him is back. _Again_.

“Hyung?” He asks, louder this time but nothing comes out of his lips except for air. He grapples for something to hold onto so he could stand since he has no vision. When a darker figure hits the corner of his eyes, Baekhyun confirms that something is terribly wrong.

He is dreaming again.

He throws himself on the mattress once more, closing his eyes and praying that when he opens it, he will awake. His heart thumps faster and it does not help him in focusing. Fear swirls his mind and he cannot think of a way to escape. Hot tears gather on his lids and his chest heaves painfully.

_Wake up. Please, wake up. Wake up!_

“Baek?”

Baekhyun hears his brother’s voice then the click of the knob. When he opens his eyes, the room is still dark.

“Are you okay?”

Baekhyun does not respond, he just reaches for his brother’s hand. He tries to calm himself and gather his breath but the relief is not resurfacing yet. He looks at his brother who stares blankly at him. His eyes are expressionless and his touch feels cold.

“I had a nightmare, again,” Baekhyun whispers. Exhaustion overwhelms his body as he rolls off those five simple words. His throat burns. “Hyung?” Baekhyun’s heart thuds painfully in his chest for a reason he does not understand. He is awake already and –

“Where is it?” Baekbeom speaks in a voice that is not his own. His hold on Baekhyun’s hand tightens and his nails grow into devilish claws. His eyes turn the color of ruby and his smile becomes grim.

Baekhyun gasps, blood and air leaving his body. He can literally taste the sinister around. _He is still dreaming_. He has not woken up and his body quivers painfully in fright. His instincts scream to flinch away from the monster but his rational mind says he needs to keep still and _sleep_. “Please,” he begs. “Wake up! Help!” He wants to scream yet the sound he produces is muffled. A stoned lump on his throat, not permitting him to speak and breathe. His chest rises and falls agonizingly as he endures the painful scratches of a monster in the image of his brother. “Help! Anyone? Baekbeom hyung! Park Chanyeol! Luhan! Kyungsoo –”

Baekhyun closes his eyes, heart thumping wildly, like a thunder bird demanding freedom. He feels his skin tear at the slices of the nails. The monster is now sitting at him, clawing at his neck and his chest. Its slimy legs are trapping his arms. Baekhyun’s tears fall more when he feels something slick and wet and long licking his face. It smells foul and it tastes acid.

“Please, stop. Wake up!” He prays for his dreams have never been this evil. There is always the presence of a friendly fire that assures him and _his body_ safety. However, right now, everything feels cold and he is attacked. If only his heart would calm down, he can wake up at any moment.

Then Baekhyun hears a rustling sound that clashes hard against a flesh. The monster forcefully taken away from his chest. He hears his study table crashing and breaking, splinters showering him. _Please, please, wake up. Wake up!_ There is another one then a terrifying growl echoes in the room. A cold thick liquid sputters on his skin yet he keeps his eyes shut, afraid that when he wakes up, the images flashed before him will hunt him even in his waking life. He prepares himself for another attack, already surrendering to the possibility that he will not make it alive. Is this what happens to his parents?

_Wake up! Wake up!_

Nothing happens. Baekhyun’s tears mix with that of the oozing thick liquid on his face yet he keeps still. Until the silence cloaks the whole room and only his breathing – _and the heaving of another man in the room_ are heard. Still, Baekhyun keeps his eyes closed. Closed still even he could feel the room warming and his insides are blooming emotions of happiness and security. The familiar fire is here.

“Baekhyun,” the familiar voice is here. Deep and strong. And gentle and caring.

Shaking, Baekhyun’s hands find their way to his eyes and he begins to sob. Permitting his tears to fall again as his fears lie low. His heart is still thudding fast but he knows this episode of his nightmare is over.

“You’re okay now,” Baekhyun feels Chanyeol sitting on the bed, wiping the ooze off his face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you alone.” He caresses Baekhyun’s hair and the relief that latter has been expecting since he thought Baekbeom was there came to him like big splashes of water.

“You’re here?” Baekhyun asks but it came out as a statement, he tries to gather his breath in between his sobs. ”I’m still in my dream.”

“I am always here.” There it is again – that feeling of familiarity like they have known each other for long. Chanyeol speaks softly, gently, as he pats Baekhyun’s hair. “I always visit you in your dreams.”

“Did you… Where’s my brother? Did you… kill… him?” He does not mean to sound accusing but he feels too tired to defend himself.

Chanyeol chuckles, “Baekbeom hyung is not here.”

“ _Baekbeom hyung_ , huh?” Baekhyun comments, scoffing. His hands massage his eyes and he takes a series of deep breaths.

“He’s not here. What you saw was a demon of some sort.”

Baekhyun laughs amidst his cracked voice, shaking the eerie feeling. “Soul-monster? I don’t believe them,” he says it aloud - _to convince himself_. To convince himself that everything that has been happening since his parents left is nothing but a nightmare that he will wake up from.

“Not believing them will not cease them to exist,” Chanyeol purrs, voice so tender like he has all the patience in the world.

“The truth is what we choose to believe in.”

“That’s why many societies are failing now,” Chanyeol sighs and Baekhyun feels him leaning on the bed rest. The former’s hand is still patting his head like he is lulling him to sleep. “They always choose to believe what is easy than what is right; what is safe for them than what is humane for all.”

“You’re talking about the _travellers_ now,” Baekhyun voices out, though he really means to say _the monarch_. He is still gauging if Chanyeol’s words are nothing but true.

With another deep breath, Baekhyun finally opens his eyes and the room is still dark and as much as he expects the fear to resurface, it does not. He feels safe and secured though the stench of the monster is still in the air. He sits up with that same achingly slow speed. Chanyeol’s hand on his hair falls on the mattress with a soft thud. He also leans on the bed rest without glancing at the taller man. Their shoulders are too close to touch yet too far to make any contact.

“Is the project still up?” Baekhyun brings the topic up, trying to sound courageous. “Because if it is, then I have a proposal.”

“What project?”

“You are asking me for help, aren’t you?”

“Woah!” Chanyeol chirps, sounding happy yet he creases his eyebrows in an obvious confusion. “I wonder, what makes you change your mind?”

“My lover, Do Kyungsoo is lost,” Baekhyun responds with no preamble whatsoever. “I need to find him before it’s too late. Help me find him and I will help you with your lost treasures.”

“You have a lover?” Chanyeol queries, taken aback.

“Yes. He and my brother are the only ones I have in this world after my parents left. I can’t lose them too,” Baekhyun speaks a little too fast to outrun the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. He gulps twice to bury the lump forming in his throat. “If given the chance, I will do whatever it takes to bring my parents back.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol replies, head low. “Okay, I understand. I’m sorry.”

“And also, while we are at it,” Baekhyun speaks again and he feels like he is being haughty and demanding and bossy and he does not like the sad look he sees in Chanyeol’s puppy eyes. He changes his tone and proceeds with his plan to apologize even if the other does not ask for it. “Can you answer whatever questions I have? I’m sorry. You are right,” he remembers some of his dreams now. “There are a lot of things I still need to know. I’m sorry for turning you down twice. I was afraid. It was so cruel of me.”

“I understand, Baekhyun. I am sorry too, for surprising you like that,” Chanyeol _tries_ to smile. “I should have introduced myself formally instead of scaring you like that.”

Baekhyun smiles softly, almost giving to that overwhelming feeling of _tranquillity_. “Thank you. For saving my life.”

“You are most welcome, Baek. Always here to protect.”

Baekhyun laughs heartily – for the first time that day, when Chanyeol mimics a knight producing a sword from his side and raising it like he has the power to bless someone. “You’re funny.”

“Thanks,” Chanyeol acknowledges, also chuckling. His teeth flashed, white and shining and Baekhyun swears he can see them glimmer. “I get that a lot.”

“Uhm, can I ask my first question now?” Baekhyun gives a wry smile, gauging Chanyeol’s reaction, but when he does not react, Baekhyun voices it out. “Why do you need me to find your lost treasures? What do I have to do with that? And why am I even here?”

“The vessel is weak, Baekhyun. That’s why your soul finds it easy to leave your body.”

“Weak,” Baekhyun repeats, a mocking yet sad smile playing on his lips. “No wonder _travellers_ are called _broken_ and _cursed_.”

If Chanyeol is hurt, Baekhyun does not see it. Yet when he speaks, Baekhyun is sure his words are laced with gloom and exhaustion. “You are the strongest when you are weak. Not all people are able to exist in two realities at once.”

“How is that a strength?” He challenges in response.

“Well,” Chanyeol starts with a lift of his shoulders. “You get to understand that there is more in this reality. When you start realize that you are just a tiny speck in this universe and there is more to know in this life – it humbles you. And that is what sets you apart from others. Being able to live in two worlds is just a wonderful experience. Not everyone is blessed with such opportunity to be _outside the cave_.”

Baekhyun huffs, mainly because he does not have anything to say. Never in his life did he encounter someone with such deep reflection of the universe. Of life. A total opposite of who he is. And even though he is a _quick critical thinker_ , he fails to utter a rebuttal from all the things Chanyeol said.

“Yeah,” Baekhyun starts, taking this limited time to think of a reply. He smiles evilly when he finds one. “Wonderful you say? How is that wonderful if you are at outlaw on another life?”

“I told you, didn’t I?” Chanyeol huffs light heartedly, his fingers playing with the hem of his white shirt. “People do terrible things when they are afraid. This world is out of the realm of what Science can reach so instead of making efforts to understand, they totally banned everyone to travel, to dream. To return. They forgot to remember that dreams are fragmented memories of a soul in his travel. Those who banned this thing are also travellers themselves.”

It feels like he is talking to his Master Yixing again. Their words reflect one another and the way they speak is like a group of ballet dancers in synchronized: graceful and wise. He hears Master Yixing in him that even if it goes against his perspective and beliefs in life, he finds himself very much willing to listen. Baekhyun gathers his thoughts but he knows that he has long surrendered to his burning curiosity when, instead of pushing Chanyeol away, he asks a question. “Do you know Master Yixing? You two… you speak like… you’ve known each other very well.”

“Yes, I know him. I am the last heir of the Royal Family. I can’t go to school like a normal school boy. There will be a lot of threats, considering that my family is a critic of the monarch. Two Moons Academy is founded and funded by the monarch. Master Yixing has been my teacher ever since I was a kid and I value the old man so much. How is he doing lately?”

“He is crying when I came to ask him for information about _travellers._ I bet it is because of… wait!” Baekhyun stiffens, remembering the earlier events. “You have been kidnapped? Arrested? What happened to you? What happened to you? Your body? In the waking life… you… you were… what kidnapped? Arrested?”

Chanyeol looks indifferent at the topic and the panic of Baekhyun. “We framed it,” he says coolly.

“What do you mean framed it? And what do you mean _we_?”

“My body is safe,” he replies nonchalantly. “It is… _somewhere_ safe.”

“You are a big issue now,” Baekhyun states exasperatedly. “Didn’t you know some are quite panicking while all others are shocked to find that you are a _traveller_? What are you going to do now when you come back? They found out about it! And Master Yixing! He was crying because of you when I went to him to ask about my final paper.”

Chanyeol just flashes him with his signature toothy smile. “I will deal with Master Yixing, later. He is a smart man, one of the greatest thinkers of our time, he’ll know the truth even before the monarch and its sentinels will blow it up. And I don’t care about what will other people say or if they will lock me up or torture me like what they did to others. I can always go here. I have a place to stay. Don’t worry about me, Baek.”

“How can you be so cool about… everything?” Baekhyun wants to scream. It feels like Chanyeol does not understand the gravity of what is happening and he wants to slap the man to wake him up!

“It’s hard to explain,” Chanyeol pouts. Baekhyun rolls his eyes for having the nerve to act cutely. _What an idiot!_ “Can we go now, Baek?”

“You haven’t answered the other questions yet.” Baekhyun crosses his arms. “Why do you need me to find your lost treasures? Why is it me that you need?”

“Mr. Byun is a confidante of my father,” Chanyeol says, making his eyes twinkle for an effective innocent look. Baekhyun understands why. Chanyeol is toning down the blows he might receive at the mention of his parents in whatever issues. “He says you have it. The key to the chests.”

But Baekhyun wheezes in disbelief as he catches another statement. His eyes and mouth widening in synchronize. Though, he remembers how his parents will always leave them for work that they cannot speak about, he did not expect nor anticipate that it will be the Royal Family. With the clenching of his heart, it is possible that his parents _had_ spent more times with Chanyeol that their sons. He tries to bring up some hate but only pain is felt.

“I don’t remember my father giving me something like a key,” Baekhyun says with a low voice, focusing on the matter at hand. “Do you know what it looks like?”

Chanyeol is silent for a moment, thinking. “I’m not sure but I’ll know it when I see it.”

“Can I trust you, Chanyeol?” Baekhyun asks again for assurance, voice laced with seriousness and vulnerability.

“I just saved your life,” Chanyeol give him a soft, reassuring smile.

“Okay, let’s do this,” Baekhyun cheers, _trying_ to lighten his heart. Whether or not Chanyeol can be trusted, he reminds himself that he is doing this for the people he loves.

Silence billows over them again for a long moment. Baekhyun awaits for answers. The next sounds are his audible gasps, clearly shocked, and the creaking of the bed when Chanyeol stands up without a preamble. He stretches his arm and offers his hand to Baekhyun, smiling impishly, all his white little perfect teeth are flashed. “May I take the liberty to _journey_ with you in this world?”

Baekhyun looks up at him, wanting to smile too and accept the offer yet he does not deny the look of hesitation in his own eyes. “Now?”

“Uhm, yes?”

“I’m not sure it is a good idea, _Chanyeol_.” Amidst the darkness, he sees Chanyeol staggering aback when he calls his name. He surprises himself too and for a short moment, he prays that there is no such thing as blushing in this world. “I… should go… I mean, go back to life, don’t you think? Then we plan there?”

“I can’t,” Chanyeol shakes his head yet his eyes are nothing but excited. “My body is hidden. It will be too risky if I’m seen walking alive.”

“How do we find the things we are looking for in this… this _world?_ Baekhyun asks, heart leaping again. He is afraid to venture out into the unknown. “And… there are… there are soul-monsters!”

“The things _you_ are looking for are in this world.” Chanyeol just smiles brightly at him. He produces two metallic containers that look nothing empty canisters. “As for the soul-monsters,” Chanyeol raises one of the cans and raise it up. In a matter of seconds, a fiery blade comes out from one of the ends and expands a half-meter long. Baekhyun can feel the heat emanating from the blade. The blue tongues of fire are gracing the sharp edges and its fatal tip. “We have this. And besides, aren’t you the greatest Soul hunter? Don’t you think it’s time to hunt soul-monsters than bodies?”

Baekhyun is stupefied at the weapon that he does not hear Chanyeol’s playful taunts. Where in the world did he get that? It is clear to him that it has been the blade used to kill the soul-monster which just attacked him. Baekhyun’s eyes travel from Chanyeol to the blade then back to Chanyeol again.

“Come on!” Chanyeol pouts, one hand offering the other blade. “Don’t deny yourself this.”

“I…” Baekhyun starts, looking apologetic.

“Fine,” the taller looks down. “Going back to your life is actually yours to control. You can go back anytime but since you are still here and you are finding it hard to _wake up_ , then might as well be with me.”

Baekhyun swears he can feel something inside him. Something fluttering that warms his inside. Assessing the whole ordeal, however, he does not feel bad going with Chanyeol in this _world_ in the hopes to find the people he loves. But still, he is afraid to venture out on the unknown. “It’s not that. I just… what if I don’t wake up? What if we are stuck in this world like the others? My brother is waiting for me. I’m the only one he has,” Baekhyun voices out his concern, fear evident in his tone.

Chanyeol’s smile widens and Baekhyun wants to punch him right in the face for beaming like that. And he wants to punch himself too! Harder! For being _affected_ at the taller’s toothy smile.

_Knock it off, Baek! Kyungsoo! Kyungsoo! Kyungsoo!_

Chanyeol sits down again, shaking his hand that has been stretched for long. “I hate to be the one to break this to you but your brother is also _travelling_. We could even meet him in this world.”

“What the fuck?” Baekhyun is stupefied and Chanyeol is nothing but a laughing mess, holding his stomach as he grapples for air.

“Mind your words, Baek,” Chanyeol reprimands in between his laugh. “That is very uncivilized.”

Baekhyun scoffs acidly. He does not think that his brother travelling is a common knowledge in this world and with a heavy heart, he admits that it feels offensive to be left in the dark – if it is true that his _whole family is a traveller_.

Under normal circumstances he would think Chanyeol is mocking him and he will never forget and forgive this man. However, Baekhyun is in no position to be childish right now and instead of sobbing, he understands that there are people out there that ought to be back in the waking life. He makes a mental note to slap his brother hard in the face in the waking life for castigating him about his involvement in _travellers_ when Baekbeom himself is _travelling_. Damn the hypocrisy is too much in this world!

Rolling his eyes, Baekhyun hoists himself up and plants his feet on the floor. But, when he stands up, he does not expect that the waves of air holding him would still be strong; that the feeling of floating would still be there; that his head would spin; and that his wobbly knees would not support him enough. That is why when he stands up, he falls back again. His buttocks lay flatly on the matt– on Chanyeol’s lap and his head rests on the taller’s shoulder. He immediately warms at the contact.

“Hey, you okay?” Chanyeol asks, his voice always laced with gentleness and concern.

“Shut up!” Baekhyun spits. He closes his eyes once again and stays still until the world stops spinning and it does not help that Chanyeol holds him closer to him. Baekhyun makes no comment about it. He makes _no meaning_ about it. He reminds himself that he is not a man of _purpose_ or _meaning_. So he asks instead, “Is it always like this in this world? How am I supposed to travel like this?”

There is no reply so Baekhyun waits for more seconds. But still, there is no response so he jabs Chanyeol’s side with his finger.

“I thought you told me to shut up,” Chanyeol laughs, his hand travelling up and down Baekhyun’s back, cradling him with his strong arms. “You’ll get used to it, I promise.”

“How?”

“Well, maybe if you do not deny the existence of this world, it will help you adapt faster,” Chanyeol smiles once more and he is looking at Baekhyun straight in the eyes. They are so close that it will take a mere inch for their lips to touch, yet Chanyeol does not look like a guy who would take advantage. He looks innocently at the man in his hold, gently inviting him to this world.

“I’ll come,” Baekhyun finally surrenders, his eyes wandering on the walls and killing whatever butterflies fluttering in his stomach. “But promise me one thing,” he reminds the both of them.

“Whatever it is, just for you to come with me.”

“Answer all my questions,” Baekhyun _orders_ with a tone of finality though he is fully aware that he has nothing to bargain to assure that the taller will keep this promise.

“It will be my pleasure to answer all your questions.” Chanyeol stands up with ease, Baekhyun in his hold: one arm on his back and another is hooked behind his knees.

“Hey!” Baekhyun shrieks. “Bring me down! Bring me down.” He waggles his feet with great effort but it comes off a soft swinging of his legs like astronauts do in their venture in the space. “Yeol, what… what’s happening?”

“ _Yeol?_ ” Chanyeol staggers back a little, eyes glinting yet fluttering at the same time in disbelief. “I love the name. Will you…”

“Knock it off,” Baekhyun warns, throwing him a disgusting look.

“You’ll get used to it, trust me,” Chanyeol laughs once more, like an untainted child who is still full of happiness at everything he sees.

“Used to what?” Baekhyun means it as a mental question but it rolls off his tongue and he wants to kill himself because of it.

Chanyeol shrugs, teasing and clearly enjoying the scenario. “Whatever it is that you need to get used to.”

“Bring me down!” Baekhyun orders once again, tone harsher this time.

Chanyeol does gently and Baekhyun reminds himself not to ever look at the taller’s eyes again. He does not like the fluttering of his heart whenever his eyes will meet. He clears his throat and tests his capacity to walk normally. He stretches his arms for balance. His feet meet the floor with every step yet the floating feeling is still there. The room is still dark yet Baekhyun confirms that it is receding. He can already see things from afar. Breathing in assurance and breathing out fear, he turns to Chanyeol with a soft smile.

“Here,” Chanyeol gives him the other blade. “We will use it against the attacks along the way.”

“Attacks along the way?” Baekhyun shrieks in horror. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Soul-monsters are everywhere, Baek,” Chanyeol sighs, as if stating out a very obvious point. “Come on, take it. For protection.”

Baekhyun feels he is left with no choice so he hesitantly takes hold of the can – or more like the hilt of the blade. It is smooth and warm, probably because of the fiery blade inside. He gasps, all of sudden, putting a good distance with an achingly slow speed between him and the blade without letting loose of his hold. He steps back. Very much afraid that the blade will just come out and slash them.

“It won’t come out if you don’t think about it,” Chanyeol is obviously halting his laugh. He fails.

“I’m actually thinking that it will come out and burn the both of us!”

Chanyeol laughs heartily, crouching down to hold his stomach. His blade has suddenly retreated back to its house. “Baek, if you, with your whole heart, summon it, that’s the only time it will come out. And I’m not sure if a fire blade will come out. It’s different for everyone.”

Baekhyun ignores Chanyeol and his laughs. Instead, he focuses on the hilt. He wants to try, remembering his purpose why he is doing it. He is hailed as the top Soul Hunter of his time and has been into practice battles so many times. His hands maybe the softest and the smoothest – according to Kyungsoo, but his grip has always had the strength of an iron. He has held swords and fighting sticks – this fiery sword is no different.

Inhaling deeply, he closes his eyes and whispers in his mind, _I wilfully summon you and help me defend the light from darkness_. He feels the sword trembling so he tightens his grip, making sure that the opening is away from them. He opens his eyes.

It is as if the sword hears him and the blade springs into life. Baekhyun staggers back again, stunned at the grandeur of the weapon. Chanyeol is correct, it is different for everyone. Instead of a fiery blade, his is a pure white blade with light so strong he has to face away from his weapon to not blind his eyes. He sees Chanyeol stepping back too, an arm draping over his face.

“What is this?” Baekhyun asks.

“The blade is powered by the aura of the one holding it,” Chanyeol explains, too cheery. “I wonder why yours is pure light, Baek! I’ve never seen a light that shines like this. Too bright. I bet that mere seeing this will make soul-monsters flee.”

“Oh!” Baekhyun loses words. He still cannot believe of the totality of this. “So, uhm, how do I… how do I shut if off?”

“Same thing, Baek,” Chanyeol instructs, throwing his blade playfully, “Think about it.”

When Baekhyun puts the hilt on his back pocket, Chanyeol takes it as a signal and hold Baekhyun’s hand without another word, mirroring his smile. He leads him outside the room. Everything seems to be in place and they traverse the stairs. Chanyeol pauses at the front door that opens to the Byun’s small garden. Heaving a deep breath, he turns to Baekhyun without breaking his hold on the smaller’s hand. “You will see different things the moment we step out of your house, Baek. Are you ready?”

Baekhyun is about to nod when he sees two very long silvery white cords on the floor. His eyes follow where the cords start and he finds that the first cord leads to his room. The second is on the other side of the door. The one coming from his room glimmers brightly like there are luminous cells travelling inside, the other seems to be waning. _Fading_. “What is that?”

“Silver cords. Your soul is attached to your body by this one. So you wouldn’t be lost.”

“Where’s yours?” Baekhyun asks but the moment he looks at Chanyeol’s eyes, he understands that the other cord belongs to him. “But, why is your cord less bright than mine?”

Chanyeol is shocked at the question yet it is immediately replaced with a big smile. “This is your first time. Let’s just say that your cord is new and mine is… well, a little overused.”

“This is not my first time to leave my body,” Baekhyun counters with a small pout, remembering his dreams where he can see his body. Fear is threatening to eat him again.

“This is your first time to travel with the full consciousness that you are travelling.”

“What will happen if the cord breaks? What if I don’t get back?”

Though Baekhyun feels like he is an annoying child full of questions, Chanyeol does not show any signs of irritation. Instead, he answers all of them with patience and gentleness. “The cords will never be broken. But they can be weakened. That is the reason some are lost. Cords don’t shine like they used if the souls travel for too long. They fade that’s why others lose their way back. They can only be broken if the body is destroyed.”

“Death,” Baekhyun voices out his meaning. “So long as my body is safe, then me… in this world…”

“You are safe, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol supplies.

“Wait!” Baekhyun exclaims. “We can know where people are if we trace their Silver Cords! We should get to Kyungsoo’s house and follow his cord.”

“Baek,” Chanyeol’s expression turns gloomy. “When we step out of the house… it is different outside. You won’t see streets and your neighbour’s houses.”

Baekhyun deflates at the statement but he remembers something again, “Then how come you can find me? If you are in your house… how come you can go to mine? If it is a different world outside your home?”

“I am not sure if you’ll understand at this point, Baekhyun.”

“I want to know.”

“Please, Baekhyun,” Baekhyun sees Chanyeol swallowing a lump on his throat and his countenance is nothing but nervous. “Not now.”

“You promised me!” Baekhyun demands, though he feels sorry for making Chanyeol too uncomfortable. Yet he wonders why the taller is unease?

“There is a theory saying,” Chanyeol starts, gulping so many times. His eyes travel on the walls then to the floors, clearly avoiding Baekhyun’s gaze. It makes Baekhyun uncomfortable too. “You only see the cord of the one destined to you. You saw mine.”

Baekhyun’s heart races even before his mind processes the words. He does not like it. He does not like it. He does not like it.

“Now, let me tour you, Baek. This world has been waiting for you for too long. I have been waiting for you for too long.” Chanyeol tightens his hold on Baekhyun’s hand as he opens the door.

***

This is not what Byun’s garden looks like in Baekhyun’s _waking life_. Their small pond with a proud stoned-cupid pouring a jar of water at the center is nowhere to be found. The flowers his parent’s used to grow and their neatly trimmed green grass are nothing but tall blue and violet bushes now.

Baekhyun’s heart is leaping in fear as he steps on the ground bare foot, bouncing lightly like he is nothing but a big balloon and Chanyeol is the only one holding him from flying up, up and _away_.

The surrounding is foggy like the clouds have descended to four meters above the ground. The violet grasses are tall and Baekhyun relies on Chanyeol for vision. Fortunate for them, the edges are not too sharp to slice the skin on their faces. Their hands are still intertwined and since Baekhyun told himself not to _give Chanyeol’s every word or gesture a meaning_ , he focuses on the cute little glittering lights that buzz as they pass. Seemingly lighting and guiding them along the way. Some of them have cling to Baekhyun’s shirt and now he looks like he is wrapped up in Christmas Lights.

He wants to ask questions but he is afraid Chanyeol will be annoyed and leave him in the middle of nowhere. He looks back and sees that his bright cord, seemingly attached to the end of his spine follows their trail. He has a plan B if ever Chanyeol leaves him right here but still, he cannot shake the eerie feeling of being left alone in this _grassy blue-violet forest_. The buzzing sound is enticing, the kind that he sees in a fantasy world that keeps children coming back. Baekhyun sees the little circular lights that are suspended into the fog and it makes his heart warm for a reason he does not understand. It seems that the lights make his heart thud calmly inside his chest and as much as his mind flashes dark pictures of serial killers that may jump out on them, there is no denying that his heart feels safe. His free hand is alert, ready to produce his blade at any moment of ambush.

The ground is damp like it had drizzled a while ago and it smells fresh leaves and roots and flowers. Baekhyun is happy because he finally starts to feel the gravity with his every step. He looks up, mentally noting that he has not brought any umbrella. They have not brought anything at all – except themselves and two swords. But instead of seeing clouds like what he would have expected, he sees _stars_. Lots of them and they are so… out of this _world_. They are big – way bigger than what they have in the waking life that even if he closes one of his eyes and stretch one of his arms, any star would not fit on his thumb. They are magnanimous in size because they are so _near_.

Baekhyun unconsciously pauses, also halting Chanyeol in his steps as he feels the smaller tugging him. His jaw is literally dropping because it feels like the vast universe is within their reach. For a moment, Baekhyun wants to cry for no reason, his lips quiver and his knees shake. “What is this?” He whispers, awed at the things before his eyes.

Chanyeol walks closer to him. “There is a reason our paths going to the cave is dark. Because if it is bright like your silver cord, you wouldn’t be able to admire the stars. Wonderful, aren’t they?”

Baekhyun begins to sniff. “Reason. I never believed in one.”

Chanyeol lays on the ground and the grass parts for him. He stretches his arms, legs are also spread. Baekhyun does the same, with no hesitation whatsoever. They are close again yet too far to touch. Both eyes are fixed on the heavens.

“I never question things,” Baekhyun admits as he gazes at the stars. It feels like he is seeing droplets of colors from a paintbrush in a rich ebony canvass. Some are pastel while some are neon. Never in his life did he imagine he will see a shiny and minty green star. “I stopped asking questions when I accepted that my parents are not coming back. I figured out it is not good for me to ask things I will never understand.”

There is a pink star on their left and Baekhyun swears he can see the way it rotates. He can hear its soft purring as it moves even though Science taught them that a sound is non-existent in a vacuum. A soft haze is billowing over it, adding to the things that make it glimmer. There is a strong urge in his heart to raise his hand up above and he will be able to touch one of the stars.

“Why?” Chanyeol asks softly.

“It makes me hope,” Baekhyun’s tone is nothing but sad. “Hope that maybe they will come back or hope that maybe one day, I will understand why they left. It surprises me that I have asked so many questions since the day you appeared in my dreams. And I apologize if it…irks you.”

Baekhyun recalls most of his classmates who always ask questions that interrupt the class, it annoys him so much. For him, asking questions is a sign of stupidity. People ask because they did not know and Baekhyun, being the brightest student of his time, does not want to admit that there are things he fails to comprehend. Right now, he feels like he is being one of those annoying creatures.

“There is this one quotation I really like from Frankl,” Chanyeol beams. “Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how’.” He gazes at the universe above them and Baekhyun thinks that the way Chanyeol looks right now is one of the priceless things.

Chanyeol looks so lost and innocent and pure like he has never been tainted by the world. Like he has never known tragedy and pain. His eyes are wide with astonishment, lips parting in awe. His chests heave delightfully and his countenance is calm and tranquil. He is like a child who is excited at all the good things life can offer. A child who thinks he still has all the time in the world.

And Baekhyun, with a light pang in his heart longs to be like that child.

“Question is the start of everything,” Chanyeol continues and Baekhyun breaks from his trance, his eyes also wandering on every star. “Wiser is he who knows that he does not know. It is when people ask that they get closer to the understanding of life. It is the reason we enjoy the abundance of knowledge that we have right now. In Science, in Language. In History and in Arithmetic.”

Baekhyun keeps silent for a while. Letting his words to penetrate his system, his conscience, his heart. He assess and reflects. Why did he stop asking questions?

“I was afraid,” Baekhyun voices out his response to his own mental query. “You’re right. People do terrible things when they are afraid. I am afraid that the answers will hurt me more. Why did they leave? Is it because they don’t want us anymore? Will they come back? Yes? No?”

“I am happy, you know,” Chanyeol bumps his shoulder against Baekhyun’s. “The universe will still find a way to bring you back to where you are supposed to be. And now _we_ are here.”

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun heaves, closing his eyes. He finds it difficult to find a word that will shut Chanyeol. Because at the back of his mind, he does not want to shut him out but he has to. He hates it.

“Hmn?” He coos and it makes everything more awkward.

“I have a lover and I need to bring him back.”

Chanyeol chuckles but Baekhyun swears he can hear the strains. “I know.”

“I don’t know how to say this in a lighter way, but please. I can’t and won’t leave him.”

Chanyeol is silent and Baekhyun feels bad about it. But he has to. He cannot cheat Kyungsoo in the process of rescuing him. So Baekhyun scoffs playfully, blushing in embarrassment. “Uhm… about the… universe and all those. I’m sorry but I also do not believe that there is someone or something out there that controls our lives. I am not a believer of determinism, as what Philosophy would call it. I do not like to think that our lives – whatever we do – will end up in _the way it should end from the very start_.”

Chanyeol hums meaningfully and Baekhyun is glad that he drops the previous topic. “I understand. It feels suffocating to think that we do not have control of our own lives,” he starts. “But imagine this, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun – as much he wants to go on and do the very thing that they have to do, as much as he wants to shut down the weird feelings of warmth and tranquillity inside him, and as much as he reminds himself that he loves Kyungsoo – finds himself enjoying the conversation. The scenery. _Chanyeol_. For a moment he wants to believe it: that everything that happened will lead them here, the both of them under the eternity of the stars. It is as if he is breathing a fresh air he did not know he lacks.

Under normal circumstances, Baekhyun will be thinking now of a way to rebut or to shut his opponent off. But Chanyeol does not feel like an opponent and this does not feel like a debate. This gives him an impression of two people of different cultures come together for a good dinner with lots of things to share. And for _the first time in Baekhyun’s whole life_ , he shuts both his mind and his mouth to listen intently _to understand_. His eyes travel on every star he sees yet his ear is on nothing but Chanyeol.

“There are four doors. Doors A, B, C, and D,” Chanyeol speaks with a motion of his hands. “Door A leads to more doors, let’s say ten more doors to choose from. And each of those ten doors will open to a new set of doors so on and so forth. The same goes for Doors B, C, and D.”

“Choices,” Baekhyun states Chanyeol’s symbolism. “Choices in life.”

Chanyeol only giggles before he continues speaking. “Okay, so we can see or assume, even before we are born, the doors are already there. Each door we open corresponds to a pivotal event in our lives or even the most mundane things like choosing food or choosing a movie to watch and it affects the whole maze of your life.”

Baekhyun can grasp a little about where Chanyeol is heading so he asks to confirm. “So your point is? We still have a choice.”

“Believing that things are predestined does not necessarily mean that you deny your freewill,” Chanyeol explains with the gentlest voice. “We can choose the doors we open, Baekhyun – that is freewill. But we can never choose the consequence that goes with our choices – because they are predetermined. You can choose to leave me right now but you will miss the joy of knowing more than what the other reality offers.”

Baekhyun starts to hum delightfully, a genuine smile flitting across his face. That is a wonderful point to think about. _Doors_ and _rooms_. He wants to hold Chanyeol’s hand for a lack of wordy response and for his gratitude that someone is feeding wonderful things in his soul. He feels happy. There is no better word to describe Baekhyun’s state right now.

Baekhyun slowly travels his hand until he feels Chanyeol’s fingers. With no hesitation plaguing his mind, he holds the taller’s hand, fingers slowly locking on Chanyeol’s tightly. Baekhyun’s heart races and he hates and loves it at the same time. Chanyeol returns the gesture, his fingers also curling at the back of Baekhyun’s palm. No one speaks. No one rushes to break the silence.

Baekhyun loves the feeling of _belongingness_ though he is a foreign to it because never in his life did he feel he belongs. He always feels the need to be in somewhere yet he does not dare question _where_. But right now, there is something in him that urges him it is _okay_. Okay to believe that he is _destined_ to be here with _Chanyeol_.

For a moment, he thinks he understands now why some people in his waking life remain unconscious. What if they are not lost? They just found their _real home_. Here. In this world. Because Baekhyun boldly admits that he himself does not feel like coming back.

“I find it hard _not_ to believe in that Someone whom you think controls our lives,” Chanyeol speaks again, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on the back of Baekhyun’s palm. “When I think that there is someone out there who knows all the doors and where they lead, I feel safe. There are times I know I will doom myself yet here I am, still. I think He saves my life from choosing the wrong doors.”

Baekhyun’s smile never dares leave his face. He hums too, in understanding, “ _Divine Intervention._ ” Baekhyun remembers that they have touched this matter on their Philosophy Class yet he pays no heed. But now, with or without that Someone, he feels safe. Right here with Chanyeol.

Baekhyun is silent again, letting the words enter his thoughts. He never was this silent for he has always things to say in reaction to every single thing in his waking life. Nobody taught him this and his curiosity – no, scratch that – his _thirst for knowledge_ is hyping him up. “People in the waking life are always on the extremities of things, you know,” Baekhyun blurts out something, dodging the topic. “It is either you are pro or you are anti. You either believe that people have freewill or life is predetermined. There is no in between.”

“There is no in between, that is true,” Chanyeol concedes. “But you can meet halfway so there will be no more opposing sides that will tear each other apart. So there will be peace.”

“You sway me with your words,” Baekhyun smiles. “You see, I am never the type to _reflect_. I am always critical on things and I wonder, how did you know all of this?” Baekhyun, for the first time, tears his gaze from the sky and gapes up at Chanyeol. His heart stammers once more, seeing Chanyeol’s eyes a little too wide, his sharp nose, his glowing skin, and his big ears yet even all those combined, he still looks pure and innocent. He still has a heart of a child.

Chanyeol chuckles lightly and for the first time, Baekhyun joins him. Never in Baekhyun’s life that he felt such peace. “I just ask too many questions. Like why are the leaves green? Why do the stars shine only at night? Where do they go when it is day time? Why do we use the word ‘down’ when people are sad?”

Baekhyun also lists the questions he wanted to ask but never did because he feels stupid. His ears caught one of Chanyeol’s and returns it to him. “Why then? Why do we use the word ‘down’ when people are sad?”

“All good things come from above,” Chanyeol happily replies. “And good things are presumed to always make you happy. Nobody who has looked up felt sadness. Who wouldn’t smile on a bright sunny day? Who wouldn’t feel peaceful on a starry night? People who look down are missing the good things in life.”

“What about if it’s raining? People feel sad if it’s raining. Yet it still comes from above.”

“That’s why we associate raining with sadness, with tears. The heaven inhibits that same quality with us – crying.”

“I thought you said all good things come from above?” Baekhyun mutters, impishly challenging Chanyeol to reason well.

“You speak like sadness is not a good thing,” Chanyeol gives him a meaningful look.

Baekhyun tells himself that Chanyeol has a heart of a child yet a mind of a hermit. He chuckles to himself. He is clearly enjoying this. “How is that a good thing? No one wants to feel sadness.”

“Sadness is one of the crucial emotions that make us human. Sadness makes us feel alive. Only our society dictates that it is taboo.”

“I don’t want to feel sadness though. That much I could say,” Baekhyun mutters with a weak tone of finality. He pouts to himself as he remembers those cloudy days when his parents left them. The longing and gnawing feeling inside him that always threatens his sanity. He is sure he does not want to go back to those days.

“It is just like the saying, _we learn little from peace_ ,” Chanyeol explains with his gentle tone, completely unaware of Baekhyun’s thoughts. “So there are wars to remind us of who _we should be_. Same thing with sadness, to remind us of what we missed, what we failed to do. Sadness has its own fair share of teaching.”

“Sadness,” Baekhyun laughs shyly, resting his free hand on his stomach. “I just don’t want to be sad again.”

“How about you?” Chanyeol bumps him again, seemingly noticing Baekhyun’s change of tone. He lays on his sides, elbow props up to support his head. He looks down at Baekhyun with the gentlest smile. “What do you want to ask?”

It is as if Chanyeol is in no rush to go where they have to go. It is as if time does not exist in this world. So Baekhyun takes all his time to think. There is a lot that he wants to know and his mind swirls at all the questions he wants to ask. And of all those, this is what he voice out, “Do we forget our dreams?”

“Should I answer or…”

“Please answer, Yeol,” Baekhyun looks up at him and sees the taller’s eyes glinting.

“I really like it when you call me that,” Chanyeol speaks with such solemnity and sincerity Baekhyun feels his heart bursting. He does not shut Chanyeol this time. “Well, Plato proposes the idea of two worlds. The Physical World and the Intelligible World. And the bridge that we are about to cross later is what we call, in the waking life, the _metaphor of the divided line_.”

“Okay,” Baekhyun responds, feeling out of breath at the gush of information. Though he is familiar with the concepts Chanyeol is explaining. “I remember some things about it. The intelligible world is a place where everything is perfect, right?”

“Our soul travels,” Chanyeol nods and continues. “To this world every time we sleep. And since the physical world is very limited and flawed, it cannot take the whole perfection and beauty of what our souls see in their travel. So the memories come as fragmented scenes in the forms of our dreams. Most of it we forgot, but some are just as vivid.”

“Amazing,” is all what Baekhyun uttered in response. He remembers Master Yixing’s characterization of dreams and even though he heard that twice now, he still gapes in amusement for never did he think that there would be an explanation for something considered _punishable_ in the society. However, it is not the kind of answer he expects from Chanyeol, so he asks another again. “Yeol, will I forget you when I wake up?”

“I don’t know,” Chanyeol pouts cutely but there is no denying of sadness flashing on his eyes. “But I hope you won’t.”

“How about you? Will you forget me when you wake up?” Baekhyun asks as if it matters whether they remember each other or not.

“I’ve known you in my waking life ever since I was child. It is impossible for me to forget you, Baekhyun.”

***

Chanyeol and Baekhyun continue traversing the dark pathways under the guidance of the shining stars. The grasses are a lot taller now that Chanyeol tiptoes every now and then to check if they are on the right path. Baekhyun wonders if in any moment, he will step on an edgy stone that will slice him since they are walking barefoot. If Chanyeol is looking up for directions, Baekhyun is looking down to check for something that can injure them. The two have fallen silent now yet nobody feels unease. Baekhyun does not think silence will be a very good addition to their party.

“Where are we going exactly? Are we near the bridge yet?” Baekhyun asks, securing his hand on Chanyeol’s hold. His lungs grapple for air as it takes him a good amount of effort to catch up with the taller’s big steps. “Where is this _metaphorical_ line and why is it called _metaphorical_? Weird name for a bridge.”

“Ssh,” Chanyeol hushes softly. “As much I love that you are asking questions,” he tiptoes again, eyes far, head turning from side to side. “There are things that you should find out yourself. You know, according to Socrates, learning comes from within.”

“You know, you really sound like Master Yixing,” Baekhyun rolls his eyes. A little iffy that Chanyeol is hushing him now that he surrenders himself to that pull that wants him to ask and to ask. “You speak and sound like him.”

“Do you know Socrates?” Chanyeol gives him a sideway glance. “If you know Socrates, then you know Master Yixing.”

“Philosophy says, if P, then Q,” Baekhyun motions his hand, “if Q, then R. Therefore, if P, then R.”

Chanyeol laughs as he labels Baekhyun’s words. “Hypothetical Syllogism. Your point is?”

“If Master Yixing is like Socrates, and you sound like Master Yixing, then you are like Socrates? Is that what you are trying to say?” Baekhyun rolls his eyes.

Chanyeol laughs more, turning around to give him a look. “I’m not sure if that’s really what I want to point out. But thank you for the compliment.” 

“I can’t see Socrates in Master Yixing, though,” Baekhyun sighs, not boosting Chanyeol’s ego any further. “I think Plato is a lot closer to him. Don’t you think?”

“Why do you think that?” Chanyeol questions meaningfully.

“There are things you should find out yourself. According to Socrates, learning comes from within,” Baekhyun throws his words back at him yet his tone is playful, also teasing.

“Aww,” Chanyeol pouts cutely. “Shots are fired.”

Baekhyun falls into a laughing mess as he practically just _burned_ Chanyeol with his own words. It does not help that the taller’s ears are also burning in crimson. All along he thinks Chanyeol will be the only one in advantage side since he knows a lot about _life_ and _universe_. It just feels so good to silence him this way.

Chanyeol is literally pulling Baekhyun now who is nothing but laughter. Baekhyun struggles to grasp for breath as he crouches, his free hand clamping his stomach.

“I wouldn’t laugh if I were you,” Chanyeol scoffs impishly.

“ _A zoreee_ ,” Baekhyun mutters an incomprehensible response to which Chanyeol understands as _I’m sorry_.

Chanyeol huffs in slight annoyance and asks again, slowing his pace in walking to let Baekhyun catch up. “So why Plato?”

“Well,” Baekhyun calms himself, but his smile is still wide and teasing. “Well, we really wouldn’t know Socrates if it weren’t for Plato, right? Plato is like Socrates’ mouth piece. Same with Master Yixing, I think he has been an effective mouthpiece of the great philosophers of all time.”

Chanyeol shrugs lightly. “Good point. I believe Master Yixing is still the same, lonely and... alone?”

“He is alone, most of the times,” Baekhyun concedes, “But I never think he is _lonely_. People are… I think afraid of him.”

“They aren’t. They just find him weird.”

“I found him weird, too,” Baekhyun admits and he feels acid rising in his throat at how stupid he was – _they were_ – when they were hating and mocking Master Yixing. “It wasn’t until I started having dreams that I learn to talk to him. He is actually a light talker if it weren’t for the things happening now.” Baekhyun’s tone changes a bit.

“Don’t worry, Baek.” Chanyeol reassures. “We will get them back. Anyway, why did you come to Master Yixing earlier?”

“Oh!” Baekhyun is a bit happy that Chanyeol changes the topic. “I came to ask something about my final paper,” he lies, considering that Chanyeol does not need to know the whole story why. “I chose _Are there two worlds or just one?_ question and I need help.”

“Woah there!” Chanyeol turns to look at him again, eyes glinting in excitement. “You can consider this as an educational tour then. Though I am betting your initial stand is _there is only one world_.”

“You’ll be surprised, actually,” Baekhyun says haughtily, “I’m actually thinking there are two worlds. I need to top this paper that’s why I choose to be controversial. All others will think there is only one. To be safe.”

“ _To be safe…_ ” Chanyeol echoes sadly.

“Anyway,” Baekhyun clears his throat immediately, afraid to threaten the mood again. “What about the treasures of your lost family? Master Yixing says it has something to do with the return of the Lost Souls.” Chanyeol eyes Baekhyun as he waits for a response. And as they share an eye contact Baekhyun realizes something when Chanyeol creases his eyebrows in confusion. “I mean,” he clears his throat again. “What about the _lost_ treasures of _your family_?”

“You’re cute, Baek,” Chanyeol grins as his other hand pinches his cheeks. “We will get to that after we cross this. For now, let’s enjoy this moment together. Let not your heart be anxious about anything. Let the people from the waking life worry about it. Right now, we’re here. That’s all that matters.”

Baekhyun smiles at him, unable to find the words to say. He takes another deep breath and relaxes for a little bit.

The clearing peeks into the view when Chanyeol parts the remaining tall grass. He walks behind Baekhyun and places his hands on the smaller’s shoulder. He pushes him gently until the last strands of grass parts as they make their way. They reach the edge of the cliff and Baekhyun is left breathless and in awe again.

Everything is still suspended in darkness yet the soft glowing balls are more than ever. Plus the stars which peacefully hang on the heavens – smiling at them. Baekhyun thinks that he is floating together with the stars with the fog in his feet and millions of Christmas lights surrounding them. They are indeed in the edge of a cliff yet it feels so unworldly that Baekhyun thinks he is on the edge of the world; that the other side is another world that is too far from and too different from waking life. His heart races again.

There is a vast chasm that also drowns in darkness separating the cliff their standing on from the cliff they see on the other side. No circular light dares to go down. It gives him an impression of a bottomless pit mentioned in their Theology class. Baekhyun shudders at the thoughts of falling there.

Before them is a weak-looking bridge that connects the two worlds. It looks so old with only a thick rope weaving the planks together. Baekhyun is sure it would collapse with just one step. Thin cords are tangled together in a very messy manner to cage the sides. Making sure than any traveller will not fall from either side of the bridge.

A thought pops in Baekhyun’s head that this is the metaphorical bridge the links the _Physical World_ to the _Intelligible World_. An imperfect world to the perfect one. But why is it this ghastly?

“People who are afraid do terrible things,” Chanyeol speaks and Baekhyun shudders because the taller’s breath is fanning his nape. “There are some people who managed to get here yet fright overwhelms them. They leave and go back to the waking life without knowing that they are one bridge away from the _perfect world_.”

Chanyeol’s hands are still on his shoulders yet he does not make a move to push Baekhyun to walk. It seems that Chanyeol is allowing Baekhyun to decide if he wants to go back. “How about you, Baekhyun? Do you want to go back?”

“I just don’t understand while the path to the _perfect world_ is this… scary,” Baekhyun gulps down, heart racing once more in fear.

“Only the brave and the bold deserve the perfect world. This is one of the metaphors in the waking life, Baekhyun. If you are not brave enough to conquer your fears, you do not deserve success.”

“I still don’t understand,” Baekhyun shakes his head, turning around to look at Chanyeol. His eyes scream nothing but _retreat_. “What…” he breathes deeply. “What if something happens to me… to us as we cross?”

“That is not mine to answer,” Chanyeol replies, tone a little serious yet gentle. “Every door has its own share of significance and consequences. Do you want to open this one? If no, even with a sad heart, I will escort you back to your body. I promise.”

“Why are you so persistent as to bring me to the other world? I mean, it could have been anyone.”

A gush of wind sends their hair rattled and they both look up. The heaven is still the same and the blue-violet grasses are still. Yet they both know something moves out there. The two of them ready their swords, clutching the hilts like they are the only ones to save them.

“What was that?” Baekhyun whispers.

“There are people waiting for you on the other world and I want you to meet them,” Chanyeol says and even without Baekhyun looking, he knows that his words are laced with an unspoken sadness. “Before it’s too late.”

Baekhyun assesses his instincts, his guts, and his rational mind. He is curious but his mind is somehow questioning if this is the right thing to do. He is _safer_ in the waking life yet he cannot also deny that he feels safe here too though fear is kind of overwhelming him.

“I don’t know, Chanyeol. Should I go?”

“I want you to but it’s still up to you.”

Baekhyun closes his eyes, turns around, and leans back: his shoulders touching Chanyeol’s chest. He feels the calm beating of the taller’s heart and he loves it. He loves feeling it close to him and as much as he wants to feel shame for cheating on Kyungsoo, no such feeling surfaces. With another deep breath and a quick beat of his heart, he says, “I trust you. Let’s go.”

Baekhyun tentatively places his left foot on the first plank of the bridge. He gingerly applies weight on his foot. The plank makes a small creak, but shows no sign of breaking. He breathes in, reminding himself that this is for the people he loves. He makes another step then another then one more.

Another shadow looms and they confirm that they really are not alone. Flutters of big wings are heard followed by their screech like birds very hungry for a meaty prey.

 _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._ Baekhyun screams in his mind, the adrenaline rush pounding in his veins. He grasps the hilt of the sword, readying at any moment to summon the pure light blade. “Chanyeol,”

“Move,” Chanyeol orders, motioning his chin towards the bridge, seriousness lacing in his voice. “Quietly.”

Baekhyun curses himself for always being in the situation he finds too dangerous to even think he can make it alive. He crouches down, trying to blend in the darkness. It does not help that apart from thinking about the soul-monsters, he also has to think about this ghastly bridge that could fall any moment.

He is about to take another careful step when a soul-monster: a human with a face and wings of a bat, claws of a beast, nails as lethal as a scythe, and skin of a granite, drops down on them with its claws aiming directly to kill.

Chanyeol instinctively reacts, standing upright with immense strength and impact, summoning his fiery blade just in time to pierce it through the monster’s heart. But instead of silencing one so they could go on their journey peacefully, it growls terrifyingly, spurting blood from his chest and it rattles other soul-monsters. The screeches become louder and the flutters of the wings become closer and more violent. More winged silhouettes appear – tainting the sky and their favourite stars.

Baekhyun does not need to be told verbally to produce his blade and momentarily forgets the bridge. Never mind that they _could_ fall off the bridge – they are going to die here in one way or another so might as well die with honour and fight these creatures.

He raises the hilt, his blood pounding in his veins, and the pure light blade springs to life and he aims it to the nearest creature beside him, slashing. The monster howls, feeling the tear in his skin. It crawls closer, displaying its claws that Baekhyun fails to see because of the darkness and such brightness just right in front of his face. When Baekhyun swings his blade for another blow, the creature dodges and misses the hit, giving it a chance to gash Baekhyun on the wrist. It did.

“Shit!” Baekhyun staggers back, feeling his blood dripping. The hit is deep but Baekhyun cannot think about that now. He walks forward again, slowly this time, gauging and caging the wild bat. When it pitches forward, Baekhyun holds the hilt with his two hands and thrusts, aiming at the chest and ignoring the throbbing pain. The sword is buried to the hilt on the creature’s flesh and it growls and gurgles angrily, spitting green blood on Baekhyun’s face. As much as he is repelled by the foul stench and the oozy blood, he keeps still as he twitches the sword to make sure the creature cannot do any more attacks.

When Baekhyun retrieves his sword, he has it in himself to cringe at the ooze that covers his blade that makes the light emanating from it to look neon green – like his favourite minty star. He reminds himself to choose a new favourite star.

He searches for more soul-monsters on the sky, feeling his heart rampaging against his chest. It is true when the Two Moon Academy said that their Soul Hunting trainings will be nothing compared to real life battles. Though he admits he never expected it to be this gore and disturbing. With another painful heartbeat, he confirms that there are no more creatures lurking on the shadows and sees Chanyeol battling one more. Hopefully one last.

Baekhyun runs vigorously, eyes on the target, taking advantage of the creature being too focused on Chanyeol. Grasping his hilt with his two hands, he jumps up with a scream and lands on the creature’s back. He buries the blade on the spine of the creature. It growls, wing fluttering viciously as if to hit Baekhyun but he twitches his blade once more, burying the blade deeply. When he pulls it out, he gives it another swing and slices one wing. The soul-monster groans and it is nothing but bone-chilling but it ends too soon for Baekhyun to even remember how it sounds.

Panting, he reaches to Chanyeol who is covered in thick green blood. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“No,” Chanyeol smiles, exhaustion creeping in his voice. “This one’s too bloody and filthy, don’t you think?” He laughs.

Baekhyun rolls his eyes for he finds it fortunate for Chanyeol because the tongues of the fire in his blade are licking the ooze away. Baekhyun now wonder how will he clean his blade. “You’re the one to talk. Look at my blade? From pure light to neon green?” Baekhyun scrunches his nose at the foul stench. “Let’s move,” he orders, almost running on the bridge now. “Before more of them come and find us.”

“Wait,” Chanyeol reaches out to him but Baekhyun flinches when the taller touches his wound.

“Ouch!”

“What?” Chanyeol gasps. “You’re wounded, Baekhyun!”

“Uhm, I know that too!” Baekhyun mirrors Chanyeol’s tone. “Let’s move.”

Chanyeol walks, his arm on Baekhyun’s, as if assisting him. “You’re the one to order now. Come on! We’ll clean ourselves up before we get out of the cave.”

“Cave?” Baekhyun pants, hiding his weapon and putting it in his back pocket. He feels the exhaustion too, to even push Chanyeol away. He allows the taller to guide him, his arm resting on his shoulder. He feels safe. “What do you mean, cave? Where are we really going, Yeol?”

“You’ll understand when we get there. Come on!”

“Damn it! I hate being not the one to know.”

“You fight good, by the way. I am amazed,” Chanyeol compliments, his face flitting a wide smile.

“There is a reason why I am considered one of the brightest Soul Hunter in our time.”

“Soul- _monster_ hunter, Baekhyun.”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun smiles sheepishly. “Soul-monster hunter.”

Now that the monsters are gone, Baekhyun is back to taking small steps plank after plank and they shriek. His heart launches at his throat at that instant. He might be the brightest of their time but his fear of height is another story. Baekhyun’s legs shake with every step.

“Sssh, we will be fine. Now, one more step, Baek. We are doing great.”

Baekhyun is too scared to even nod his head. Swallowing a big lump on his throat, he takes another step again. The chasm below that is being eaten by darkness does not help Baekhyun from gathering air to his lungs, it constricts painfully inside him and for a moment, he becomes so sure to _just_ go back and fight monsters.

“Look at the stars, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol whispers. The taller’s hands travel from Baekhyun’s shoulder down to his sides until a mere inch above his hips. He pushes Baekhyun with no tension at all and the latter takes another step. “They are there for a reason. What’s your favourite star?”

Baekhyun looks up and sees his favourite minty green star yet the creaking sound of the ghastly bridge is still as powerful. Some tears on his eyes that he does not know lingering there. “That green minty star. I never thought I would see a green one. Though I am reconsidering after that attack. Why does their blood have to be green?”

Step after step and creak after creak, the two are starting to make a very good progress in crossing the bridge. The circular tiny light bulbs dance their ways, seemingly accommodating them as they walk. The noise they make – in Baekhyun’s opinion – is like a bamboo organ being played astoundingly. Baekhyun finds himself smiling: at the sight of the stars and the feel of Chanyeol’s hands on his waist.

“What’s yours?” Baekhyun never tears his gaze away from the heavens.

“Mine is the pink one,” Chanyeol chuckles impishly, like a child he is.

“Pink?” Baekhyun chortles, the weak bridge retreating at the back of his mind. “Why pink?”

“Well,” Chanyeol starts, clearing his throat as if abashed, “It’s always the largest star in the sky. I see it first whenever I’ll come back here from your house.”

“My house?” Baekhyun asks, a little taken aback and shocked when he steps on a soft plank and it shrieks.

“Careful now, Baek,” Chanyeol is quick to calm him down. “I’m always with you when you sleep. I… I visit you.”

“Always? Because you can see my Silver cord?” Baekhyun’s tone is a little higher than normal. Then Chanyeol’s words rolls back to him: _I shouldn’t have left you. I have known you in my waking life_. “Tell me, Chanyeol. How do you know me?”

It is a mistake that Baekhyun gets a little carried away and he looks straight. They are already in the middle of the bridge and there are missing planks along the way. The end is too foggy for him to draw some hope that he can survive this. He swallows a big lump in his throat yet its hold is too strong that he needs to swallow again. He stretches his arms and his palms feel the coldness of the thin wires on the side. He debates whether he will grasp on it, afraid that they are too weak to receive his hold.

“Look up, Baek,” Chanyeol reminds him, sensing his fear again. “It’s fine. We’ll make it.”

“Answer me, how do you know me?”

“Your parents…” Chanyeol starts, seemingly gauging Baekhyun’s reaction. But when he did not speak, he continues, “Your parents work for my family. My daddy trusts them so much.”

Baekhyun remains silent, eyes on the stars. His steps are steady yet his heart is speeding up with some emotions he cannot quite understand.

“Your mom always talks about you. How good and charming and sweet you are when you were a baby. And I always see your dad crying because he misses you so much. He promised me that he will bring you with him so we could meet, but… things happened and our parents have to be away. For now.”

“ _For now_ ,” Baekhyun echoes with such melancholic sadness but hope sparks inside him again and as much as he hates feeling it, for the first time, he smiles. Millions of questions threaten to drown him again yet of all those, this is what Baekhyun asks: “Will they be back?”

“They will be,” Chanyeol says as he tightens his hold in Baekhyun’s waist.

Baekhyun’s world stops when he feels Chanyeol’s lips on his temple. It lingers a little too long for Baekhyun to know how soft it feels, how warm, and how genuine. Chanyeol is nothing but peaceful and Baekhyun asks another question to himself again: _how can someone radiate such peace?_

 _A heart of a child_. Baekhyun is not sure when he wakes up but if he does remember, he will always call Chanyeol as the man with the heart of a child. His heart is never troubled, never rushing, always flaming with curiosity, and burning with peace, and blooming with innocence. And Baekhyun, despite his current relationship, wants to know more. Have more of Park Chanyeol.

Baekhyun buries his fears and guilt and shame at that moment and he turns around. Their eyes lock. He is curious like everybody else. Yet unlike anybody else, he is blessed enough to have the strength to ask and to know the answers himself. In this tranquil moment where everything is suspended, even the stars and the heavens and the time, Baekhyun asks how it feels if Chanyeol’s lips feel are on his?

Socrates believed that learning is within. People can ask questions and receive answers yet they will never know unless they are ready to accept. That readiness comes from within. And once they are ready, the universe is present to help the mind weave all the necessary details to conclude a point. A learning.

Though Baekhyun’s heart is thumping wild and his knees are as weak as the bridge they are standing on, he tiptoes slowly and plants his lips on Chanyeol’s. He feels Chanyeol’s stepping back, clearly shocked at the gesture but his lips remain just as close.

It takes them a moment to realize what is happening and when they do, Chanyeol starts to part his lips, travel his hands on Baekhyun’ back, and lock him with his hold. Baekhyun’s arms slowly creep up until it tangles on the taller’s neck.

Baekhyun allows Chanyeol to continue what he started and even without words, the taller obliges. Chanyeol cushions Baekhyun’s lower lips between his and plants soft and wet kisses around the corners of his mouth. He continues traversing here and there softly and gently. Baekhyun literally feels how Chanyeol inhales all of him, his chest heaving deeply.

Baekhyun has been kissed before, a lot of times, actually. It has been embarked on him that it has to be fiery and steamy for a kiss to be thrilling. Teasing tongues, playful lips sucking and licking his face. But this one, as expected from the man with a heart of a child, is anything but. Chanyeol’s touches are tender, treating Baekhyun like he is the most fragile thing on earth. His kisses are not steamy but soft and pliant and _true_ as if he does not want anything but for Baekhyun to feel at ease.

When they part, after inhaling a lungful of air, Chanyeol leans down again to plant another soft and long kiss on Baekhyun’s lips.

“It feels good,” Baekhyun smiles against his lips, giggling as he rolls the words off. “Thank you.”

Chanyeol does not speak yet his eyes are screaming words Baekhyun understands. Baekhyun laughs heartily when he sees him inhaling a deep breath, as if gathering his thoughts. He looks past behind him and sees Chanyeol’s Silver Cord glowing in a bright silvery light. Baekhyun thinks he understands what it means now. He looks at Chanyeol again with a glint in his eyes but the taller closes his eyes and with another deep breath, he turns Baekhyun around and pushes him.

They walk again, eyes on the stars, hearts on possibilities. Creak by creak and beat by beat, Baekhyun can feel the thick fog embracing him.

“Nearly there, Baekhyun.”

***

“See, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol says as he leads the way, losing his balance as they traverse the slippery stoned-path. The green moss decorating the boulders make the journey harder.

The two have successfully crossed the bridge. Baekhyun jumped in delight when he turned around to see where they had come from, playfully and _unconsciously_ hugging Chanyeol as he screamed “I opened this freaking door and I survived it! I survived the monsters but most especially, I survived the fucking bridge!”

The floating lights and their buzz are still seen and heard from a distant. Chanyeol and Baekhyun are now in a cave and for a moment, Baekhyun thinks he likes the weak planks of wood than these big stoned boulders that are stacked together and they have to climb. He wonders now, how Chanyeol manages to know where they should go.

Then again, he realizes Chanyeol has been here so many times before. _How could he not think about it sooner?_ The taller has the right to insist to trust him, he knows what he is doing and where they are going so why should Baekhyun be afraid? _Learning comes from within_ , Baekhyun repeats to himself proudly as the realization dawns.

Baekhyun is careful to climb the stones as they are wet and moist. Chanyeol has landed on his ass three times already and as much as he wants to laugh, he could land on his ass too so he remains mum and keeps the chuckle to himself – afraid of _karma_.

He hears the dripping of the water and wonders where it is coming from – a stream or a river they have to cross? Then something catches his peripheral vision and his heart almost lurches. He turns around to see nothing but a painting on the stone but he swears he sees it moving. Despite the darkness, he sees the paintings on the stones move and he is captivated again. Baekhyun grabs his weapon again, readying just in case.

 _This world is full of surprises_.

It is, indeed, a lot darker inside. The buzzing lights outside are nothing but dusts now before Baekhyun’s eyes, like glowing white sand peppered on an ebony canvass. The only thing giving them light is a small, bright beam from afar, stretching from the sky down to whatever is directly below it. The bright yellow light fights the darkness in the cave. With a swift moment, Baekhyun stops as he realizes something. He turns around again to see the _paintings_ moving. He was wrong. They are not paintings – they are shadows. They move as Chanyeol and Baekhyun move and hit the beam of light. He shudders at the thought of the possible _things_ lurking in the dark. _Are there more?_

“There is this story of cavemen,” Chanyeol speaks again as he grasps for a tree root between two boulders to hoist himself. He lifts himself up before he reaches his hand down to get Baekhyun. “And, all they see are nothing but shadows. Yet they think that is what makes the totality of the reality.”

“ _Shadows_ ,” Baekhyun repeats, eyeing the stones. He shudders again so he focuses on Chanyeol as he is sure this is another riddle he wants him to solve. “Why would anyone live in the shadows?” _Why would anyone be in this scary cave_ is what he really wants to say.

“Good question, Baek. Master Yixing is right when he says you are the greatest of our time,” Chanyeol exclaims happily. He stands on his feet again when he is sure Baekhyun has climbed.

“Wait, am I right to assume that you and Master Yixing are talking about me? Wow! I feel so relevant.”

It is Chanyeol’s turn to laugh heartily this time, his deep voice echoing against the dark and hollow cave. “Maybe. We talk in our sleep.”

“Yeah, you talk in… wait what?” Baekhyun gasps again, voice too loud is made even louder when it echoes in the cave. He frightens himself at the booming sound it makes. “Master Yixing is a traveller?”

“Of course!” Here comes Chanyeol again, being so indifferent to the things Baekhyun is so surprised at. “We are all _travellers_ I tell you. And, this is just between you and me,” Chanyeol crouches down and lowers his voice. “I think he already met Socrates in this world.”

Baekhyun rolls his eyes at the incredulity of it. “Met Socrates my ass,” he says with a voice so low he is sure Chanyeol does not hear it.

“Anyway, going back,” Chanyeol walks again, arms stretched on both sides for balance. “The cavemen are said to be facing away from the light so instead of seeing the _real things_ , they see nothing but shadows. One day, one of the cavemen felt the need to stretch and go for a walk. Very tired at watching the dance the shadows make.”

“I think I heard this story before,” Baekhyun utters, voice solemn and curious and afar as he recalls when and where. He continues to walk on the slippery stones and he smells fresh water and dews.

“That caveman turns around and he sees the light.” Chanyeol stops and Baekhyun sees they are near the light.

No, scratch it – they are directly below where the light is coming from. And it is not from the sky, it is a hole from _outside_. _Outside the cave_. Chanyeol has said it before. Master Yixing has said it too: _outside the cave_. He never thinks it holds a meaningful allusion until now. Baekhyun walks beside him and gasps when he sees the clear blue green lake three feet below them. Few drops of water from the stone above cause the dripping sound and it so ethereal. He feels like he is on the edge of the world again.

The lake is literally glittering and Baekhyun is sure it is the doing of those buzzing little lights. The water is so clear he sees the bottom is not soil like other lakes but white granite stones. Its smell is a varying degree of fresh flowers and grass fragrance. Baekhyun wants to jump to feel and hear and taste the clear water to get rid of his filthy smell.

On the other side is a sophisticated spiral stoned-stairs that leads to the outside world. People would have to swim across to get to it – to get out of the cave and Baekhyun wants to jump already. The stairs are painted with dark green moss and red daisies. Shrubs are seemingly cultured so that it grows only on the side, adding to the astounding effects of its aesthetic appeal. Baekhyun finds himself smiling in awe at the cave’s grandeur. Truly, he is one of the blessed souls to come this far.

“The caveman went to find where the light is coming from and he sees that it leads to the outside world. _The real world_. When he got out, he had known so many things. He was, as we call it, _enlightened_.

“Now, after accumulating such knowledge, another dilemma came to him. Will he remain outside and enjoy such world _alone_ , or will he go back and tell the others about the _real world_?”

Eyes still locked on the beautiful lake, Baekhyun responds, “He should go back. Tell others that what they are seeing are shadows and that there is more on the _outside world_.”

“If you are the caveman, Baek, will you go back and tell the others?” Chanyeol touches Baekhyun’s arm and slowly, his fingers travel down to intertwine with Baekhyun’s.

Baekhyun turns to him and instead of finding his smile, he sees Chanyeol’s seriousness and sincerity. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I? I mean…”

Chanyeol smiles sadly, his gaze never tearing away from Baekhyun’s as he let the _reality_ of his words dawn on him. “That is what Master Yixing is trying to do. And all the souls that came back.”

“No one believed them,” Baekhyun whispers with a sheer terror. On a surface level, Chanyeol’s question is easy enough to answer, however, in a deep sense, it is very much difficult to do.

Baekhyun, if he is the caveman, would be very much willing to go back and tell the others so they can enjoy the _real world_ together. However, Baekhyun, an ordinary citizen of the Babylon where dreaming can get you killed, _would want_ to go back and tell others yet he is not sure if he can because he is afraid of what will happen.

“Yeol, this is the allegory of the cave. And… it is real.”

“Everything in the waking life is either a metaphor or a paradox, Baekhyun. This is the real thing. The real world.”

Baekhyun shakes his head. “What? I don’t understand.”

“Tell me, what is a metaphor?” Chanyeol gently asks.

“Metaphor is a literary device that compares two things without the use of _as_ and _like_ ,” Baekhyun recites mechanically like he is in for a class recitation.

“At this point, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol holds Baekhyun’s arm and looks at him straight in the eyes. “We are comparing this world and the world of the waking life. All metaphors in the waking life explain the _reality_ of things in this world and we understand them through _symbols_.”

Baekhyun creases his forehead, thinking hard at where Chanyeol wants to go. Under normal circumstances, he would have understood it right instantly but the things Chanyeol is feeding him are very far from the knowledge he knows in _his world_.

“To make it easier, can you give me something symbolic?” Chanyeol smiles, patiently waiting for Baekhyun to catch up. “The bridge for example. Can you tell me what a bridge is?”

“There are different meanings of bridge,” Baekhyun starts, allowing himself to flow with Chanyeol’s train of discussion. “A bridge is a structure that connects places – buildings or islands.”

“Hmmn,” Chanyeol hums meaningfully. “What else?”

“Well, bridge can stand for something that connects people or culture or things like that. Yeah,” Baekhyun replies happily, eyes yearning for his answers to be _correct_.

“Your first definition is a literal definition. The second one is a figurative. And the figurative is what fuels people to understand this world. Bridge is something that connects, as you say, and look at that bridge we just crossed. It connects the Physical and the Intelligible World.”

Baekhyun feels like a bulb has just exploded right above his ear. “Yeah, you are right!” He exclaims as he remembers. “And the reason it is called metaphorical bridge is because?”

“Metaphors, in the waking life, is used to explain the abstraction – abstraction found in the Intelligible World. Since the Physical World is flawed and limited, we need things that are within the reach of our senses to understand.”

“You didn’t answer my question though,” Baekhyun impishly states, flashing his teeth shyly as an apology for not understanding.

“How can you explain to a child an abstract idea called relationship? Well, you could use a bridge to explain as it connects places – same with people, right?” Chanyeol explains. “So, for example, music has been a bridge to two lovers separated by their tragedy.”

“Aww,” Baekhyun pouts, a little carried away by the example. “What tragedy is it?”

Chanyeol chuckles heartily. “Naaa, never mind that. But you understand how metaphor functions? It is not just ‘without as and like’.”

“Yeah, I get it. It is a symbol. And the metaphors of the waking life, they are real things in this world. Can I give another example?”

“Sure you can!” Chanyeol says triumphantly, eyes proud.

“Water,” Baekhyun quickly replies. “It can be a symbol of… purity? No – cleansing.”

“Cleansing?” Chanyeol chuckles at the choice of word.

“I mean… Something that is related to someone who is cleansed. That is the _metaphor of water_ in the waking life. Now here,” Baekhyun motions his hand to the lake, “Water is indeed a _real_ thing for cleansing. I am betting people who go this far need to be cleansed from the _imperfect world_ to enter the _perfect one_ ,” Baekhyun beams brightly, starting to understand whatever Chanyeol is trying to explain. He feels proud.

“Nice,” Chanyeol flashes his signature toothy smile and Baekhyun just wants to melt in that instant. “You really are the brightest student in Two Moons Academy. You know, when I first went here, I was really afraid to jump. I didn’t believe him when he said this is a purifier.”

“You also had someone to accompany you?” Baekhyun replies meaningfully, sitting down and letting his legs dangle on the edge. He really wants to feel the water now.

“Yeah,” Chanyeol sits too, voice low and deep yet Baekhyun senses there is more to his respond. He debates whether or not it is good to ask more.

Baekhyun throws a sideway glance. “Where is he now? Is he up there?”

“He came back. To the waking life and he told me he didn’t want to see me anymore. I wonder why?”

Baekhyun’s gasp of surprise is audible and it is too late to take it back. He does not want Chanyeol to get a wrong message so he asks, “Why? What happened?”

“I don’t know,” Chanyeol admits, eyes on the lake, shoulders sagging. “I told him about our lost treasures then he said he does not want to concern himself with it so he distanced himself.”

“Are you guys still talking? When was this?” Baekhyun keeps asking then feeling bad about it. He does not mean to pry on his private life but he wants to lift Chanyeol’s mood.

Baekhyun wonders – why does he concern himself with Chanyeol? Fine if the taller knows him, but Baekhyun does not. Yet he is here, feeling happy and safe and enjoying himself with Chanyeol’s company. Baekhyun hopes he could remember him when he wakes up. And he promises to find Chanyeol there.

A journey of a lifetime. Baekhyun thinks Chanyeol is the one who is lost. But in _reality_ , he is the one who has been found in world he thought was real. He would trade anything for this moment to last, for these learning to endure, for him to explore this world.

“We stopped communicating four years ago. Sad, right? His name is Xiao Han.”

Whoever is Xiao Han made a big mistake for abandoning the innocent and pure Chanyeol. He reminds himself to remember Xiao Han too! So he can give him a good punch in the face. Baekhyun has no words as he keeps his thoughts to himself. So he pats Chanyeol’s back to ease him up – to tell that things will be okay and that he is sorry for asking too much question. They remain silent for a while, legs dangling – too near to touch the waters yet too far to make contact.

“Anyway, we should jump in now,” Chanyeol chirps, all giddy and excited. “Don’t close your eyes when you do. I want you to see something.”

“What? I should jump now?” Baekhyun asks, eyes wide with glint, lips beaming with delight.

Baekhyun does not wait for another moment and jumps to the water without a second thought. But the moment his skin touches the water, he feels warm and nauseous all over and he wants to puke. His mind is in spiral motion and as much as he wags his hand and feet to resurface, the water seems to keep him there. The water has deceived him. Baekhyun can bet it has the depths of the ocean.

“ _Chanyeol!!!_ ” His screams come out as a gurgle. “ _He.ee.eee.llp!_ ” Bubbles come out of his mouth. He is sure Chanyeol can see him right now but the taller makes no attempts to rescue.

Losing hope as the water infiltrating his lungs, he exhales a lungful of air. He stops moving his arms and legs and starts to accept that maybe trusting Chanyeol was a very bad idea and Xiao Han is already dead because of drowning, same fate that he is experiencing right now. That Chanyeol is a bad person from the start and he has deceived him.

Baekhyun opens his eyes for the last time and he gasps at what he sees. Big bubbles coming out of his mouth. Pure light that seems to be coming from… _himself_? The once blue green lake is nothing but color white now. White and shining like a pearl. Soon, he feels himself floating, particles from the water guiding his way up.

“Hhhhhhhhggggggggggg,” Baekhyun breathes in, once his head is above the water level. “What is happening?”

He looks up to see a frozen Chanyeol. His body is stupefied and his eyes are locked on the waters. “Byun Baekhyun,” he exhales his name without winking or moving. “Why didn’t you tell me your energy is a pure light?”

“What?” He returns his gaze on the lake and it is true. The light is coming from him, radiating out and making the whole lake glow with a white light that outshines the light from above. He is like the blade he has, pure light and pure white. Brightness at maximum. He is surprised that he does not have the nerve to shield his eyes. “I mean, how am I supposed to know?”

“Look at mine,” Chanyeol replies then he jumps without preamble.

Baekhyun has been carried farther as the waves send him away. Big splashes of water slap him and it tastes sweet – not the sugary kind of sweet but the heavenly kind of sweet and he likes it. His feet do not touch the bottom for it is much farther down yet the water seems to hold him in place, his chest above the surface.

When he returns his eyes to Chanyeol, he sees that the taller curls into a ball and makes no move to wag his arms and legs. His eyes are open underwater, mouth shut and he is still and calm – like he always is. Then bubbles gather around him to lift him up and resurface him back. Now, Baekhyun understands how the water works, one should not force himself upright because he will drown. He should just let the water be and he will survive. _Paradox_. Another insight learning and Baekhyun’s chest blooms with happiness and pride.

When Chanyeol’s head bobs, Baekhyun almost screams when he sees fire dancing around the edge of the lake, enclosing them. His fear is heightening yet he feels the familiar friendly fire. That fire which keeps him warm and safe. That fire in most of his dreams. “Chanyeol? You own this fire?”

Chanyeol smiles at him, flashing all his teeth as he swims closer to him. “This fire has always been with you since our parents left. I promised them to always watch you in your sleep.”

When they are a mere inch a part, toes and knees touching, Chanyeol holds Baekhyun’s waist and pulls himself closer to him. He does not say any word so Baekhyun keeps silent too. He keeps still. The taller inhales deeply, resting their foreheads together, nose almost touching.

“I see your Silver Cord and you see mine,” Chanyeol says, his breath fanning the other’s face. “I don’t know how but I am sure that you will still end up with me. Whether we like it or not.”

Baekhyun feels electrified at the closeness yet he remains still, waiting for Chanyeol to blurt out the things running in his head. He wants to hear more of it. He wants to know more about things, about this world. About _him_.

“Yeol,” he whispers with no reason at all. Baekhyun just likes the feel of his name in his tongue.

Chanyeol chuckles and his breath just intoxicates Baekhyun. “You like this?”

The fire is still surrounding them, the water is still glowing and they are both still here. They made it this far and Baekhyun is sure now – he does not want to leave. This world. _Chanyeol._

He will rescue Kyungsoo and his parents and all others that are trapped. But maybe Chanyeol is right, they are the ones destined for each other. It seems weird. It feels weird that he just finds it easy to drop Kyungsoo like he has never been important. But the thing is, Kyungsoo will always be important to Baekhyun. One of the few people he does not want to lose. Baekhyun smiles at the idea that he can keep Kyungsoo and Kyungsoo can keep him in a way that is different from a romantic tie.

“Yeah,” he smirks, tilting his head a little. Their lips are millimeters away from each other. “I like this.”

Chanyeol chuckles again, inching closer. “I like you too.”

After saying the words, he plasters a soft smile, that Baekhyun does not fail to see, then he dips his head down to catch his lips. When they touch, they hear the fire roars; the light, though their eyes are closed shut, glows more. Baekhyun wonders what it means exactly. Though he is sure, it means something positive. Like the stars have finally aligned and everything in creation applauds in agreement.

Chanyeol tugs Baekhyun’s lower lip gently with his teeth before he dives in again to plant tender kisses on the corners of his mouth. His hold on his waist tightens and he pulls him closer, caging him, trapping him in the most genuine way. Keeping Baekhyun all _for him_.

“Yeol,” Baekhyun gasps again, also snaking his arms around the taller’s neck. Chanyeol tastes sweet and fresh and raw just like the water. Their clothes are thickly wet yet the bubbles gathering on their feet are enough to keep them upright. He inhales him and shuts everything off so that all he feels, hears, tastes is Chanyeol.

The kiss becomes more aggressive. _Possessive._ Chanyeol’s tongue is inside Baekhyun’s mouth now and they both relish the way their lips clash, the way they embrace each other like they mean no parting. Baekhyun gapes open for Chanyeol as the taller tastes each tooth and each ridge of his mouth. He likes it. He loves it.

“I hope this is enough,” Chanyeol whispers in his lips, voice ragged and raspy. “For you to remember me when you wake up.”

“I’ll never forget this,” Baekhyun concedes, inhaling all of him. “Park Chanyeol.”

After more pleasurable and endearing touches, they both part to gasp for air. Big smiles are on their lips. Chanyeol touches their foreheads together and he looks at Baekhyun straight in the eyes. He is about to say something when his eyes trail further down and he gasps.

“What?” Baekhyun asks, starting to look alarmed. “What is it?”

“You have the key,” Chanyeol’s voice is a mere whisper. “You have the key to the treasure chests.”

“What key are you talking about?” Baekhyun follows Chanyeol’s line of sight. If he is not mistaken, he is looking directly at his cross necklace given to him by his dad which is very odd to be a key to a chest. “My necklace? My father gave it to me the night before they left.”

“That’s right,” Chanyeol is smiling now, eyes glinting in delight as he holds Baekhyun again. “Your father could not have entrusted it to anyone else but his son! You see, I cannot tell you exactly about the key because I am told not to speak about it to anyone. Even to my own mother. Father showed me the picture and told me o only confirm once it is already before my eyes.”

“You said that my father is the confidante of your father,” Baekhyun recalls, also smiling. “Now we only have two problems to go. Your treasure chests and Kyungsoo and the others who are trapped.”

“No,” Chanyeol shakes his head, dipping down to kiss Baekhyun once more. “We only have one left to do and that is to rescue the people we love. The treasure chests are hidden in my house, they key is the only thing missing. Thank you, Baekhyun.”

***

Dripping wet, Baekhyun and Chanyeol swim their way to the other side of the lake. Chanyeol is the first to hoist himself up and he reaches down to lift Baekhyun. Both of them are all smiles and laughter as they ascend the grand staircase decorated by moss, shrubs, and daisies feeling triumphant about a lot of things. They feel clean too. Clean and cleansed. Baekhyun’s wound is nothing but a _nightmare_ now, his skin fully recovered.

“We are almost there, Baekhyunnie. I really can’t wait for you to meet them,” Chanyeol chirps like a child. He tugs Baekhyun’s hand again and rushes him out of the cave.

“Baekhyunnie?” Baekhyun coos, blushing a little at the endearment. “I think Baek will do. Thank you very much.”

“I like Baekhyunnie,” Chanyeol pouts cutely. He seems to know how to make him blush. “Or Baek or Baekhyun. Anyway, I like you so does it matter?”

“You speak too much,” Baekhyun rolls his eyes, trying to calm the butterflies in his stomach. “By the way, who am I going to meet in this world?”

Finally, both of them step on the last flight of the stairs. Baekhyun has to cover his face with his free hand to shield him from the blinding rays of the sun. They have been in the dark for too long. Sooner, however, he tries to adjust on the light so he could see the glory of the things this world offers.

They are in the forest again. But this time, the sun enjoys its glory here and they could see everything. Trees are blooming here and there with shiny red apples, long and glittering yellow bananas, polished oranges, and glossy mangoes. Everything here seems to shine. When Chanyeol tugs him and their arms are raised, he sees their skins are glittering too! He gasps at the sight, awe-stricken again. This place is so heavenly.

“There!” Chanyeol exclaims, pointing at the largest tree not far from them.

The tree does not bear any fruit but it has crowns of thick and healthy-looking green leaves. It towers among all others in the forest and the trunk has tinges of gold. The branches look like heavy bronze. There are variety of birds in this world and Baekhyun sees them nesting and resting on other trees but not this one. He wonders why. Are they afraid?

“That reminds me of the forbidden tree in Eden in our Theology class,” Baekhyun comments, keeping pace with Chanyeol’s big steps.

“This isn’t the forbidden tree. This is the tree of life,” Chanyeol announces, ears red in delight. “You see, it has powers.”

“Looks like a fantasy world to me.”

Chanyeol ignores him and proceeds in telling another story. “Twelve orbs of power are destined to be returned here when the time comes. And this is the time. For you, Baekhyun. To return yours.”

“Uhm,” Baekhyun responds impishly. “I don’t think I need to remind you about how mundane I am. I don’t have powers.”

“You have! Pure light!” Chanyeol bellows, grinning at him. “It was revealed by the lake.”

“Woah!” Baekhyun looks taken a back. Though very much surprised, he tries to sound cool about the whole ordeal. “How do I give it then? Do I sacrifice myself?”

“You’re funny!” Chanyeol rolls his eyes and Baekhyun finds it endearing. “Close your eyes,” he starts instructing. “Raise your hand in the direction of the tree, like you are about to give it something.”

Baekhyun does as he is told. No hesitation, no questions, no second thoughts. However, his face fails to conceal that he finds this thing funny and ridiculous.

“I hope by this time you don’t think I’m making up stories?” Chanyeol cautions him. “Okay, so close your palm and imagine you have an orb. Feel it.”

Baekhyun obliges, halting his laugh on the process. He breathes in slowly and thinks of an orb that looks like a marble; circular yet a little flat. He breathes in again and wonders how long should he do this but he thinks Chanyeol has proven himself enough to be trusted. He just hopes and prays that when he opens his eyes, Chanyeol is not a laughing mess at his stupidity.

Though the perfect world looks and sounds and feels magical – there can be no magic here, right? Magic like that in Harry Potter – a book published a thousand years ago?

“Yeol, look…” Baekhyun starts, feeling absurd. He opens his eyes and turns to look at Chanyeol. “Hey. What’s the matter?”

Chanyeol is not looking at him nor paying him any attention. His head turns from side to side, looking for something. “Sshh!” He hushes down, urgency in his voice. “I think we are not alone. Keep your stone to yourself,” he orders. Seriousness and dread are back in his voice again.

“What is it again? Damn this monsters!” But wait, this is the _perfect world_ , right? How are there any monsters here?

“Hide in the bushes, Baekhyun. Now!”

“Fuck it, Chanyeol. What is this supposed to mean?” He whispers his screams, fear catching up on them again. “Another soul-monsters? I thought this is a perfect world.”

“Sentinels, Baekhyun. Sentinels are patrolling here, making sure no one makes it back. No questions now. Do what I say. Hide in the bushes and hide your stone. There is someone here,” Chanyeol’s tone turns gentler but the firmness is still there. His eyes are weary and wary. They crouch down.

Baekhyun keeps still and travels his gaze. On their right side, the cave they just came out from, he sees a shadow behind an apple tree. The bushes swaying as it moves. Baekhyun’s heart quickens and absentmindedly puts his hands on his mouth. He gasps at a circular _hard thing_ that enters his mouth.

“Fuck!” He wheezes, choking at the _stone_ that he almost swallows. “What the…” Baekhyun spits it out and he does not believe his own eyes. In his palm is a stone that is a replica of what he has imagined. A flat circular white orb glows and twinkles. The inside of it glimmers as it reflects the light from the sun. It is so amazing. Baekhyun, as much as he wants to take his time to admire _his_ stone, he keeps it safely on his pocket. He produces his sword once more, preparing himself for another encounter.

“My father told me,” Chanyeol speaks, voice low. His eyes are vigilant, body alert. “We have to turn right after we get out of the cave. That’s where the captured souls are kept hidden.”

“The monarch and the sentinels are travellers too,” Baekhyun comments, hoping that somehow when he voices the words out, he will be able to make himself believe it. “Hypocrites!”

“No time for that now, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol warns as he crawls to the right. “Be ready. Sentinels are more deadly and devilish than the Soul-monsters we killed a while ago.”

“No worries,” Baekhyun says haughtily, a mocking smile on his lips. “I was trained for this.”

It does not take them a long moment to find two Sentinels patrolling the area, fully equipped with gears and shields and swords from head to toe. Their heads turn from side to side, scanning their surroundings. They look alert and ready for battle too. Baekhyun has been taught not to underestimate their enemies, especially now that all they have is a blinding and fiery swords. They could be of no match to these Sentinels albeit them being equal in numbers. So as much as he wants to rage now, he knows they should prepare.

He is about to tug Chanyeol and make a plan when a commotion on their far left echoes. Baekhyun stuns himself when he hears the voice. He knows it very well. His heart clenches on his chest.

“This young boy is hiding behind the cave opening,” another sentinel came, panting as he drags the said boy by the back of its collar. “Another lost soul.”

“Please, don’t hurt me. I am not a monster. I just want to go back, please.”

“It’s Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun wails, gripping his weapon tightly, his knuckles turning white. “Yeol, it’s Soo!”

“There is no going back, boy!” The sentinel slaps him in the face before pushing him to the other two. Kyungsoo falls on the ground, face hitting the soil hard. “Such a pity. I know you. You are from the Two World Academy.”

Baekhyun curses, face burning red because of rage. “I swear! I swear I’m going to kill them!”

“Baek, focus,” Chanyeol holds him back. “I’ll distract them, okay. Then like what you did earlier, attack from the back. Then when they are at you, I’ll be the one to hit another so we are left with one man.”

“I’m so ready for this to happen,” Baekhyun spits, calming himself and wiping the tears off his face. “Go!”

Baekhyun does not know what kind of distraction Chanyeol will give but the taller sprints away from them, making sure that he is seen. It sure does rattle the three Sentinels.

“Is… is that the heir of the Park Family?”

“Yes, general! We should go and get him now! He is heading to the trapped souls!”

“Damn the bastard! Follow him! Bring him to me!”

Baekhyun wants to thank the heavens because the two follow Chanyeol’s trail. Now the general is the one left behind and the choking Kyungsoo. _His Kyungsoo_. He does not wait for another moment when the sentinels are out of eye shot. He stands up and procures his sword, raising it up and the pure light blade comes out. The general is indeed shocked but he recovers quickly. Smiling devilishly at him, almost looking like he knows he is coming.

“Who might you be, young man?” He asks, calm and gentle.

Baekhyun hates it; the soft demeanour, the kind façade. His eyes burn with nothing but disgust with the monarch and its sentinels for all the lives lost and the families broken. “Byun Baekhyun,” he introduces himself like how he would imagine himself doing at their graduation day. Proud and happy. “The brightest Soul- _monster_ hunter of this time. Who might you be, old fool?”

“Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo whispers yet it is so loud Baekhyun hears it.

Baekhyun looks Kyungsoo in the eyes and his heart twitches at what he sees. He looks sad and broken, like deep parts of him has been shattered. He wants to run to him, hug him. But he needs to get rid of this filthy sentinel first.

The general grimaces at his words before his brows furrow and his grin. He eyes his light blade sword. “Two Moons Academy has made a big mistake of letting you handle a sword if you’ll use it just to stab it back. Do you think I am afraid of that thing in your hand?”

“The monarch has made a big mistake of banning the travel. And I think you are afraid. You have been afraid all your life. Such a pity.”

“Watch your words,” the general’s calm and gentle demeanour is slowly crumbling down. Baekhyun is seeing nothing but an enraged sentinel now. Few more breaths and the attack will begin. He can feel it.

Baekhyun walks in circles, swinging his blade playfully in his hand. He is enjoying the sight of the general gulping down with every sway of the sword. He is clearly afraid. It does not take any moment longer for the general to run to him with a mundane sword in his hand. He lurches forward, sword raised.

Baekhyun counters the attack, motioning his pure light blade from the opposite direction. He is expecting an intense battle but at the moment of contact of their blades, the general’s weapon burst, flying away from his hand, and landing in splinters. They are both taken aback, eyes following the sword that is nothing but a dust now.

The general looks at him with fear, walking backwards with nothing to protect himself with. “Please,” he suddenly starts to beg. “Have mercy on me! Listen…”

“Mercy?” Baekhyun laughs. He knows that too much words can get himself killed. He has read too much of books to understand that characters, feeling the moment of their close victory, deliver a speech that eventually gives their enemies time to attack. So Baekhyun, hardening his heart and soul, stabs the general straight in his chest with such force coming from all the pain and longing he has suffered when he was growing up with no one but his brother. “This is for all the pain you’ve caused your people!” He screams, tears on his lids, as pulls out the sword and kicking him in the face for the general’s final fall.

Baekhyun falls on the ground, his sword also dropping as the exhaustion starts to eat him. His eyes closed and he wills himself to cry, kneeling. His hands unconsciously find his face and he begins to sob.

It does not a moment longer for arms to enclose him in a tight hug. “Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo kisses his temples, voice also ragged and raspy. “Why are you here? Don’t you know it’s not safe? How many times do I have to tell you to –”

“I came here to find you.” Baekhyun surrenders to the feeling and he hugs Kyungsoo back. Throwing himself around him and holding him like he will never let him go. He buries his face on his chest. “What happened? Why didn’t you wake up? Are you a traveller too?”

“I’ve been attacked. I don’t know what are those but I had to hide so I went outside the house,” Kyungsoo says in between his sobs. “I found my way here.”

“I was worried and scared! I didn’t know what I’m going to do when you didn’t wake up. Damn it, Soo! I will kill for you.” Baekhyun’s screams are muffled by Kyungsoo’s shirt that is wet now because of the downpour of his tears.

“I’m sorry, Baek,” Kyungsoo kisses Baekhyun’s hair again. “I’m sorry. We’re fine now. We’re going to go home. But wait. What I saw…” Kyungsoo tries to push Baekhyun away to look at his face.

“Hmn?”

“In the lake. Just now. Was it…” Kyungsoo brings himself to chortle and it shreds Baekhyun’s heart into pieces. “Are you… Don’t you want me anymore?”

Baekhyun unclasps his arms around Kyungsoo to look at him straight in the eyes. Guilt and shame on his throat but he has to ask just one question to confirm. “Soo, can you see my Silver Cord?”

Kyungsoo’s face clouds with confusion yet nonetheless he looks past Baekhyun. His eyebrows crease before he looks at his lover’s eyes again. Baekhyun swallows a lump but it only makes his heart beat painfully. “No. Where did you hide it? You don’t have one?”

Baekhyun’s tears flow more freely this time yet his gaze never leaves Kyungsoo’s. He sobs heavily and he does not bother hiding his face from him. Kyungsoo needs to know. He needs to understand. Though Baekhyun does not think this moment will literally send his heart into shards. “There… rrr… only dew cords… you see… in this wuwld,” he struggles to say between his heavy sobs. It is a surprise that Kyungsoo can understand. “You see your own cord and the cord of the one destined to you. I can see Chanyeol’s, Soo. But I can’t see yours.” He buries his face on his palm once more, wailing and screaming loudly.

“But I…” Kyungsoo heaves, in disbelief. “I love you, Baekhyun. Isn’t that enough?”

“I love you too, Kyungsoo. I love you so much that I had to go here and bring you back. I love you and nothing’s gonna take that away.”

Kyungsoo holds Baekhyun’s shoulders. “But what’s this? How…”

“I’m sorry.”

Baekhyun is sure Kyungsoo has more words to say but the sound of _running_ – _massive people running_ is heard from a distant. They compose themselves and prepare for any attack. It does not take a longer moment for them to see people running _to_ them. It could almost look like a stampede.

“Baekhyun! Baekhyun!” Chanyeol runs to them to, waving frantically, his signature toothy smile on his face. “We made it!” He screams. “The people are coming back. They are coming home!” When he reaches them, he encloses Baekhyun in a tight hug, planting a soft kiss on his cheeks. “We made it, Baek! Your parents are with mine. They say we’ll meet in the waking life. There is no time. We have to move now before the Sentinels recover their troop,” he pants, rushing his words out.

The people reach them too and they all rush to the opening of the cave. To say that the shouts and exclaims are loud is an understatement and they thanked them as they pass, muttering their praises and compliments, and gratitude. Baekhyun’s mind is swirling with everything happening at once.

“Thank you so much Mr. Park Chanyeol!”

“You really are the brightest of our time, Baekhyun. Thank you!”

“I am forever indebted to the Royal Family. Thank you so much.”

“We will see you in the waking life.”

As much as Baekhyun wants to receive of the love and brings himself to smile, his eyes remain teary and his heart remains broken as Kyungsoo isolates himself from the two of them. He walks back farther and farther until Baekhyun is almost at the edge of losing Kyungsoo _again_. He disappears from Baekhyun’s sight, being slowly eaten by the people running to the waking world. When the crowd has thinned significantly, he looks back to look for him but he is gone.

“Let’s go home, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol takes his hand, urging them to move too.

“Wait, Kyungsoo!” He turns his head, shouting and looking for him but he is nowhere to be found. “Soo!”

“He must have left with them already.”

 _I’m sorry, Kyungsoo_ , Baekhyun repeats in his mind like a mantra. He promises to explain everything when they wake up. He holds Chanyeol’s hand for strength and support. His tears flow freely on his eyes which Chanyeol mistakes as tears of joy.

***

Baekhyun is still silent by the time they reach the bridge going to the physical world. Both of them are silent and no one dares to break it. Chanyeol thinks of the possibilities when they return with the hopes that the monarch will now listen to them. The Lost Souls are no other than the same people in the waking world. They are not the soul-monsters.

However, Baekhyun’s heart is troubled and heavy since he saw Kyungsoo. Shame and guilt gnaw inside him. Kyungsoo does not deserve this. He sniffs silently.s

“Stop!” Someone shouts from behind them and Baekhyun and Chanyeol almost jumps in shock. “No one should go back! Not yet!”

Baekhyun instinctively brings out his sword but Chanyeol gestures for him not to. “It’s… it’s my great-great grandfather.”

“Chanyeol!” He shouts when he gets to them, alarmed and threatened. His hair is dishevelled in a tangled and messy grey locks. “What have you done?”

“I set them free, Grandpa,” Chanyeol explains, beaming with pride yet his eyes looks uneasy because of the reaction he is getting from the old man. “We’re all going home now.”

In that moment, Baekhyun feels like he is hit by a strong lightning. He understands his grandfather. “No,” he whispers in horror.

“Where’s the chest?” His grandfather is screaming now, tears welling on his lids.

“It’s safe with me. I found the key. It’s with Baekhyun.”

“Chanyeol, no!” Baekhyun wants to scream but his voice is barely above whisper. He sees the last line of people disappearing before his eyes. Most of them have probably woken up already. His cannot feel his heart anymore.

“Haven’t you thought about it?” He still sounds exasperated, heaving painfully that they can here his intakes of sharp breaths. “You are getting them killed! The monarch and the society are not ready to receive them yet! Their massive awakening will only lead to a holocaust!!! Don’t you understand? Stop them before it’s too late!”

But it is too late, Baekhyun sees it with his own eyes. Almost everyone gone. Kyungsoo. His parents. Baekhyun suddenly cannot feel himself. His tears, his breaths, his hold on his blade and on Chanyeol’s hands. He did not see his parents. Kyungsoo is gone too, traversing now the paths to the waking life.

“Chanyeol, what have you done? You led them to their deaths!”

Chanyeol falls to the ground too with loud thump yet Baekhyun does not notice it. His eyes remain on black clearing, now empty. The sound and the cheers are a lot distant now. _Holocaust_ – he has heard the word, read the word enough times to shiver violently. _Mass execution_. Kyungsoo. His parents. If it is true, what is going to happen in the waking life… then, indeed, instead of saving the people they love, they have just delivered them first hand to their deaths.

“Chanyeol,”

_What have we done?_

***

_Babylon Daily Messenger_

_21 st Day: 4th Moon: Year of the Monarch_

**INSURGENCE**

A terrible insurgence happened at the sanctuary yesterday at exactly three in the morning. Approximate 2 700 unconscious bodies, including the parents of the top student of Two Moons Academy, Byun Baekhyun, have been invaded by creatures out of this world and attacked Sentinels where 46 of the troop sent had been horrifyingly killed. It is true that the _awakened_ are violent and terrible creatures in the faces and bodies of once human beings of love, grace, and compassion. They have burned down the sanctuary and the nearby buildings such as the laboratories and the hospice. In addition, it has been reported that Mr. and Mrs. Park of the Royal Family had been in the lead of the insurgence. It is fortunate for the monarch and the whole city of Babylon that the sentinels were able to handle the situation immediately. In line with this, the monarch has ordered their immediate execution through lethal gas. Gas chambers are now being prepared to cater the populace of the monsters. Once again, the monarch has strengthened its ban against travelling and dreaming.

_Written by: Xiao Lu Han_

***

“I’m sorry, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol’s hoarse voice from behind him.

They are lined up now, under the scorching heat of the sun. Their hands are tied behind their back with a thick rope. Baekhyun is sure his wrists are now blaring violet because of the tightness but nothing compares to the tightness of the guilt noosing around his neck. This is all their fault.

The monarch did not listen. The monarch is not ready for their return.

The others are led to their gas chambers. Baekhyun did not even have the chance to talk to his parents. He wants to cry but all his tears had gone dry since he woke up three days ago and they were arrested for _travelling_. However, the three of them, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol with him are on a large wooden dais now, in front of so many people. The chieftain is still delivering his speech.

After that, they will proceed to their public execution through hanging. The monarch is making a statement: the hanging of a royal family member and two students of Two Moon Academy is a powerful statement enough to discourage all people from _travelling_. Dreaming.

Kyungsoo is not talking to Baekhyun despite the other’s efforts to talk and apologize. Baekhyun is not hanged yet but he already feels dead inside.

Baekhyun does not even notice that the speech was already done. They are ushered to their respective spots and he hears the creak of the plank he is standing on. In no time, this plank will be removed and everyone here will witness his death. _Their deaths_. He closes his eyes as two sentinels tie a thicker rope around his neck.

 _This is it_.

There is a gunshot followed by another then another then many more. This time, with loud shouts and banging. Baekhyun takes a deep breath and prepares himself for his death but the plank he is standing on is never removed.

He opens his eyes to witness the clamour and he gasps, feet staggering as his eyes widens. He looks at Chanyeol and he is just as shocked.

“What’s happening?” Baekhyun tries to shout.

He sees his Master Yixing with the other Two Moon Academy students. He sees his parents standing proudly too, swords and weapons in their hands. A thick crowd is following their trail, armed with their own blades. They are supposed to be in the gas chambers now. _What’s happening_? Baekhyun holds his breath. Their face are nothing but livid. Their eyes are determined and very much ready to combat. One signal and Baekhyun knows they will fight.

“If we die,” Baekhyun hears Chanyeol speaking, voice rasped. His tears and sweat are wetting his face yet he has a soft and hopeful smile. “We die with honor.”

“What is this?” The chieftain spits in anger.

“Stop it right there!” Master Yixing barks rudely. All his professional façade gone. “We know the truth!” As he rolls the words off, two large gold chests are dropped heavily in front of him by his students. “Release them or be ready for another Civil War!”

“No,” Baekhyun’s smile is nothing but vengeful and hopeful at the same time. And he suddenly feels the urge to laugh mockingly at the chieftain and the Sentinels that are stupefied for they are clearly outnumbered. 2 700 _rescued souls_ plus all the students of the Two Moon Academy which boasts in a thousand, all armed and in combat mode. “No one’s going to die today except the monarch.”

***

 **TWO WORLDS**  
_by Byun Baekhyun_  
Top Graduate  
Two Moon Academy  
14 th Day; 4th Moon  
1st Year of the New World

_Plato proposes the existence of two worlds: Physical or the Visible World and Intellectual or the Intelligible World. A number of people oppose Plato’s Theory about the reality of an intelligible world mainly because such realm is not visible into the naked eye._

_However, it is my belief that these two worlds exist. The burden of proof lies not to us who believe in the existence of such but rather lies on those who believe that there is only one world, earth and nothing more._

_The Visible World as defined by Plato is the physical objects below the Metaphor of the Divided Line. They get the reality that they posses by their participation in the Forms. Forms on the other hand are ideas belonging on the Intellectual world where the truth is absolute, and can be attained by means of reasoning. Our physical bodies are part of the Visible World while our souls or minds link us to the intellectual realm._

_To those who claim that there is only one world, I’d like to address some questions. If we are confined only, here on earth, how would they explain dreams, wherein our physical body is absent in the occurrence of such? How about déjà vu, astral projection?_

_Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. According to Deirdre Barrett, dreaming is simply ‘thinking in a different biochemical state’, this idea lead me to conclude that even in the absence of our physical body, our mind still tend to process unconsciously, involuntarily, which somehow proves the existence of another dimension, a different state._

_Plato established the immortality of soul, which implies that the soul has been through many earthly lives and many periods of existence outside the body, from this came the idea of knowledge as a recollection which was related to Hobson’s Theory of_ _the activation-synthesis which hypothesizes that the peculiar nature of dreams is attributed to certain parts of the brain trying to piece together a story out of what is essentially bizarre information. As the soul from the intellectual world is immortal, as Plato believed it to be, has been born again and has seen things in the underworld, there is nothing which it has not learned, but since we are in the visible world, in which things are just replicas of the Pure Forms, it has never achieved a perfect replication and therefore less real, less pure to the extent that it would, somehow appear only on our dreams as shattered images and missing pieces of the real picture. Sometimes, it would be in a form of déjà vu which attributes the feeling of having previously seen or experienced something to having dreamt about a similar situation or place, and forgetting about it until one seems to be mysteriously reminded of the situation or the place while awake._

_As for Astral Projection, it is an out-of-body experience that assumes the existence of an[astral body](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astral_body)_ _separated from the[physical body](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_body)_ _and capable of travelling outside. In this case, the physical body is again absent, but there is an entity that exists that can function, that can live even without the physical aspect, which may lead anyone to question, where does that came from? Where would that entity go? Are they existing bodies to be discovered or we create them? According to Plato, forms in the intellectual world are not mental entities, nor even mind-dependent. They are independently existing entities whose existence and nature are graspable only by the mind._

_I also believe in two worlds not just because I saw the intellectual realm but because I was introduced to the word perfection. As Plato again claimed, Forms, by definition are those things that are possibly wholly unity of being, things such as beauty and justice. If such realm does not exist, where do you think the ‘longing of perfection’ of people will come from, considering the fact that we are born in this imperfect world? Would we even know the word imperfect? Would we have creative thinkers and philosophers who can think outside the box, outside this dimension?_

_Two worlds exist, with or without a biblical perspective._

Chanyeol crouches down to kiss a busy Baekhyun reading his published paper. “Too on fire again, Baek? What time should we leave?”

“Shut up,” Baekhyun chuckles as he sips his own cocoa milk, bringing the newspaper down. “We should go now. Mom and Dad are waiting in your manor for the feast. Kyungsoo told me we won the case, the monarch will be nothing now but a nightmare.”

“We did it, Baek. I’m so proud of you,” Chanyeol smiles triumphantly as he gathers their luggage. “It has been a month already but it only just feels everything was just yesterday.”

“Yeah. It’s been a month now since Kyungsoo and Jongin got together. Damn those two,” Baekhyun huffs in annoyance. “They won’t join us today because they have some… alone time to do.”

“Let them,” Chanyeol chuckles as he heads toward the door. “Come on now, Baek.”

They won the case and the monarch is jailed for their corruption in power and money. They are held responsible for the deaths of all those who returned. Master Yixing is now flooded with students who want to listen to his stories and theories. Tired as the old man is, Baekhyun knows that deep down, his master is happy.

Baekhyun paces up with Chanyeol and they exit their own house. Making sure that the door is locked and all the windows are closed.

The early rays of the sun greet them and both of them find themselves smiling. Their hearts are light and peaceful. Chanyeol holds Baekhyun’s hand, his touch feels warm and safe and home. “I can’t wait to sleep tonight. I badly want to go to the cave.” He steals a kiss on Baekhyun’s cheek.

“Me too,” Baekhyun laughs heartily. “Though I’m so sick of those green-blooded creatures. Tell me, are there any records in the chest that tells us how to kill them all one time, big time?”

Chanyeol looks at him with a cute pout. “We can’t be soul-monster hunters anymore if there are no more soul-monsters to hunt, don’t you think?”

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. “But I’m tired of them already! Seriously, every single night I have to kill… what? Seven?”

“It’s not that bad though, I’m with you in those battles. Anyway, want to bet who kill more tonight?”

“I’m the top grad of Two Moon Academy, Yeol. May I remind you.” Baekhyun smiles at him and at the dawning of a new day.

New hope. New world. Where people can freely dream.

*****


End file.
